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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: arm · present · shower · roll · stock · spring · field · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. present — there
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. present — a gift
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. spring — of water
  8. field — for sport
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. roll — a list
  13. shower — rain
  14. spring — the season
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stock — goods
  19. field — farmland
  20. spring — a coil
  21. field — a subject
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. roll — a cake
  24. present — the time now

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