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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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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: hide · bound · wake · degree · bear · squash · plane · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bound — tied together
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the sport
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. wake — a trail
  16. plane — a tool
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bear — the animal
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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