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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: wake · bear · chest · dip · spring · object · arm · degree

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. object — an aim
  4. bear — the animal
  5. dip — to sink
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. spring — the season
  8. wake — a trail
  9. chest — of your body
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. object — to protest
  13. chest — a box
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — from a university
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. spring — a coil
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. object — a thing
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. spring — of water

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