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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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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: chair · track · nail · spring · present · squash · dip · row

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. track — a path
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. spring — of water
  7. dip — to sink
  8. squash — the sport
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. track — to keep track
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. squash — to crush
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. spring — the season
  17. row — to paddle
  18. chair — a leader
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. track — a song
  21. spring — a coil
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. present — there
  24. row — a line

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