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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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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: cold · bulb · mug · object · present · shower · march · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. present — the time now
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cold — not warm
  8. shower — rain
  9. mug — a face
  10. object — to protest
  11. bulb — for light
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. present — a gift
  14. march — music
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. object — a thing
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. bulb — for light
  21. object — an aim
  22. present — there
  23. dip — to sink
  24. cold — the Cold War

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