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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: rush · bulb · pound · swing · key · cold · dip · wave

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rush — hurry
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pound — a weight
  11. key — the most important part
  12. swing — to play on
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. key — for a lock
  18. swing — music
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. swing — in golf
  22. cold — not warm
  23. key — in music
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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