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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.

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: degree · dip · cap · clip · coach · stock · fork · plane

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. dip — to sink
  4. clip — for paper
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. plane — a tool
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fork — in a road
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. degree — from a university
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. stock — goods
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — a hat
  21. stock — shares
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. clip — a video

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