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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.

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: dip · stick · degree · drill · tube · lean · march · field

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. tube — the underground
  3. march — the month
  4. degree — from a university
  5. tube — a container
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — temperature
  10. march — the month
  11. field — farmland
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. lean — thin
  14. drill — the tool
  15. dip — to sink
  16. drill — army training
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. field — a subject
  19. drill — a practice
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. march — music
  22. field — for sport
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. lean — to bend

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