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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: cap · cabinet · bark · arm · pit · dip · can · straw

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cap — a hat
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cap — a lid
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pit — a hole
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cap — of ice
  16. can — a tin
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bark — to shout
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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