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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 120 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: degree · can · dip · wake · bound · fan · cell · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. cell — in biology
  3. can — a tin
  4. dip — to sink
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. can — a tin
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. wake — a trail
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cell — a phone
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bound — certain
  19. tube — the underground
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bound — tied together
  24. degree — an amount

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