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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: dip · tear · wave · band · fork · mug · cap · degree

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. mug — to rob
  8. band — a ring
  9. degree — from a university
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. cap — of ice
  12. band — a music group
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fork — in a road
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. degree — an amount
  19. mug — a face
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. degree — temperature
  22. dip — to sink
  23. mug — a cup
  24. fork — a garden tool

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