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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: track · bulb · stock · hand · dip · cold · mug · land

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. land — to come down
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. hand — help
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. land — ground
  10. cold — not warm
  11. track — to keep track
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. track — a song
  15. bulb — for light
  16. track — a path
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mug — a face
  19. land — a country
  20. stock — goods
  21. hand — in cards
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cold — an illness

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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