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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: lie · wave · content · stick · degree · dip

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. 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. lie — to recline
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. content — the amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. content — happy
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. 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