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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lie · fan · dip · stick · date · can · present · tube

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lie — to recline
  9. can — a tin
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. present — a gift
  13. dip — to sink
  14. tube — a container
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. present — the time now
  17. date — the fruit
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. tube — the underground
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. present — there
  24. lie — an untruth

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