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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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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: cap · mate · bat · straw · dip · wave · bank · squash

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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. mate — a friend
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mate — a partner
  9. squash — the sport
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bank — for money
  16. bat — the animal
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bank — of a river
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cap — a lid
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cap — a hat
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bank — for money

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