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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cap — a hat
  3. row — a line
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. degree — from a university
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. object — an aim
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. spring — the season
  11. pop — soda
  12. lean — thin
  13. degree — an amount
  14. spring — of water
  15. pop — music
  16. object — to protest
  17. cap — a lid
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. lean — to bend
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cap — of ice
  23. object — a thing
  24. pop — to visit

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