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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: fork · fan · land · degree · bulb · dip · clip · lie

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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. fan — a supporter
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. land — to come down
  15. degree — from a university
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — a video
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. degree — temperature
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. clip — to cut
  24. degree — an amount

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