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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: cabinet · bat · dip · land · spell · wave · pop · bear

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. land — a country
  3. bat — the animal
  4. spell — magic
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. land — ground
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. pop — soda
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. land — to come down
  15. pop — music
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bear — the animal
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bear — to put up with

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