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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: degree · dip · wake · rest · spring · tube · toast · pitch

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rest — a break
  4. degree — temperature
  5. dip — to sink
  6. tube — a container
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pitch — completely
  14. toast — bread
  15. degree — an amount
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. spring — the season
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wake — a trail
  24. spring — of water

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