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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 116 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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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  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. degree — temperature
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. cell — in biology
  5. lean — to bend
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bore — to drill
  9. march — music
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. lean — thin
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. march — the month
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. degree — from a university
  18. march — the month
  19. cell — a phone
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. deal — to handle
  23. plane — a tool
  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