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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: season · clip · degree · mug · dip · stem · vault · foot

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mug — a cup
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — temperature
  6. clip — for paper
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. dip — to sink
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. stem — to come from
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. degree — from a university
  15. season — of the year
  16. mug — to rob
  17. foot — a measure
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. mug — a face
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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