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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 124 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: stick · rash · wave · pitch · roll · dip · fall · bear

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rash — a series
  5. roll — a cake
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. fall — the season
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. roll — a list
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bear — the animal
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bear — the animal
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bear — to put up with

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