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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. plane — a tool
  4. tube — a container
  5. bear — the animal
  6. hand — in cards
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ground — the earth
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. ground — crushed
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. ground — a position
  15. tube — the underground
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. hand — help
  19. bear — the animal
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. degree — temperature

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