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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: track · spring · dip · fork · bulb · rush · wind · foot

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. spring — of water
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. dip — to sink
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wind — moving air
  10. track — a song
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. track — a path
  13. foot — a measure
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. track — to keep track
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bulb — for light
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. spring — the season
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com