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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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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: stand · stick · dip · row · wake · foot · clip · spring

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. row — to paddle
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. spring — of water
  5. clip — a video
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. wake — a trail
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. foot — a measure
  12. clip — for paper
  13. dip — to sink
  14. clip — to cut
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. spring — a coil
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. spring — the season
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

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