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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: wave · present · degree · dip · chair · lean · mug · saw

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. lean — to bend
  5. degree — from a university
  6. present — there
  7. saw — the tool
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. mug — to rob
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. mug — a face
  13. present — a gift
  14. chair — a leader
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mug — a cup
  19. degree — temperature
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. lean — thin
  23. degree — an amount
  24. present — the time now

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