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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. spring — a coil
  4. can — a tin
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. row — a line
  8. spring — of water
  9. plane — a tool
  10. degree — an amount
  11. can — a tin
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. shower — rain
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. degree — temperature
  16. shower — to wash
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. spring — the season
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. row — to paddle
  21. degree — from a university
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. safe — a strongbox

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