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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. plane — an aircraft
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bank — of a river
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bank — for money
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. stock — goods
  12. degree — from a university
  13. spring — the season
  14. bank — for money
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. last — final
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bound — certain
  19. spring — of water
  20. degree — temperature
  21. stock — shares
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. spring — a coil
  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