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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: dip · cold · rest · coach · straw · hand · mouse · bore

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. hand — help
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rest — what's left
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. dip — to sink
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bore — to tire
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rest — a break
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. cold — an illness
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. hand — in cards

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