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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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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: roll · spring · cell · arm · pound · dip · tear · rock

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. spring — the season
  4. roll — a list
  5. cell — a phone
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cell — in biology
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pound — a weight
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. tear — to rip
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. roll — a cake
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — music

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