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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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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: craft · bay · row · wake · dip · game · bowl · hand

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. row — a line
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wake — a trail
  8. craft — a skill
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. row — to paddle
  12. craft — boats
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. dip — to sink
  18. game — a match
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. craft — a handicraft

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