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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 116 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: sharp · mug · spell · rest · bound · straw · dip · prune

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. rest — a break
  5. spell — magic
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bound — obliged
  8. sharp — clever
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mug — a face
  12. spell — a short time
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bound — certain
  20. mug — to rob
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. prune — to trim
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mug — a cup

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