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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 · wax · saw · pitch · degree · hand · pound · dip

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pitch — completely
  3. degree — from a university
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. hand — help
  10. dip — to sink
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wax — to grow
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pound — a weight
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. lie — to recline
  23. dip — to dunk
  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