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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: lie · dip · snap · cap · current · march · fork · wax

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. cap — of ice
  3. march — the month
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. snap — to click
  10. current — happening now
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. lie — to recline
  13. current — electric
  14. fork — in a road
  15. current — of water
  16. wax — to grow
  17. march — the month
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cap — a hat
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. march — music

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