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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.

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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 · temple · patient · degree · dip · bass · wind · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. lie — to recline
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. degree — an amount
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bass — the fish
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. snap — to click
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bass — low music
  22. degree — from a university
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wind — to turn a key

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