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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: lash · row · bowl · mate · pop · patient · foot · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. row — a line
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pop — to visit
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. dip — to sink
  9. pop — soda
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. mate — a partner
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. mate — to breed
  22. pop — music
  23. mate — a friend
  24. foot — a measure

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