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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: dip · shower · wind · deal · stock · date · spell · board

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. shower — to wash
  3. board — to get on
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. date — the fruit
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. spell — letters
  15. dip — to sink
  16. board — a committee
  17. spell — a short time
  18. shower — rain
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. spell — magic
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. dip — to dunk

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