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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: dip · wound · wave · mouse · chest · season · tube · degree

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. dip — to sink
  8. chest — a box
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. tube — a container
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. degree — an amount
  14. wound — an injury
  15. season — of the year
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. tube — the underground
  18. season — in sport
  19. chest — of your body
  20. degree — from a university
  21. chest — of your body
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. tube — in a tire

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