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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: clip · cue · dip · wave · rock · pop · wound · degree

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — to sink
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. clip — to cut
  5. wound — an injury
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. cue — a hint
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rock — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pop — music
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. cue — for pool
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rock — a stone
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. degree — temperature
  22. clip — a video
  23. pop — soda
  24. wound — an injury

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