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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.

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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: chip · dip · scale · pop · drill · stem · degree · date

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pop — soda
  5. drill — a practice
  6. degree — temperature
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. scale — size or range
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. chip — to eat
  13. date — the fruit
  14. drill — the tool
  15. dip — to sink
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. chip — for betting
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. scale — in music
  24. drill — army training

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