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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. degree — an amount
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. plane — a tool
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pop — music
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. pop — soda
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. degree — temperature
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pop — to visit
  18. scale — in 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