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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: spring · rush · bay · mug · date · roll · dip · spell

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spell — magic
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. mug — a cup
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. roll — a list
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rush — hurry
  16. mug — to rob
  17. dip — to sink
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. roll — a cake
  23. mug — a face
  24. bay — to keep at bay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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