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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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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. current — of water
  3. key — for a lock
  4. degree — temperature
  5. band — a ring
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. snap — to click
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. degree — from a university
  12. key — the most important part
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. key — in music
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. drill — a practice
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wax — to grow
  22. degree — an amount
  23. band — a music group
  24. plane — a tool

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