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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: swing · game · wave · sharp · trunk · cap · bulb · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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. sharp — with an edge
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. sharp — clever
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bulb — for light
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bulb — for light
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cap — a hat

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