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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 116 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
468
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: kid · dip · wake · bulb · ground · fan · cap · row

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. row — a line
  3. bulb — for light
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. ground — a position
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. ground — crushed
  13. dip — to sink
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cap — a lid
  19. wake — a trail
  20. row — to paddle
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. ground — the earth
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — to tease

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