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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: dip · pound · straw · cap · spell · shower · mark · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spell — letters
  3. dip — to sink
  4. spell — a short time
  5. mark — a trace
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. cap — a hat
  13. shower — to wash
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. shower — rain
  16. mark — a grade
  17. pound — a weight
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cap — a lid
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. spell — magic
  24. pound — to hit hard

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