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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: fall · mug · pound · wound · dip · spell · wind · pass

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spell — magic
  5. pass — a permit
  6. wound — an injury
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. mug — a face
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. spell — letters
  13. mug — to rob
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pound — a weight
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fall — the season

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