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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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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: ruler · wound · dip · bowl · snap · mug · field · wind

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — to sink
  4. wind — moving air
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. field — a subject
  9. snap — to click
  10. field — farmland
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. field — for sport
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mug — a cup
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. mug — a face
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. dip — a sauce

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