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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. wake — a trail
  3. degree — temperature
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. degree — an amount
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. perch — the fish
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. dip — to sink
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. degree — from a university
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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