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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 116 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 · march · bear · pound · cold · wave · cue · dip

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bear — the animal
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. cue — for pool
  5. fall — to drop
  6. march — music
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. march — the month
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. march — the month
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pound — a weight
  18. cue — a hint
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. cold — an illness
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. dip — to sink

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