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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. march — the month
  2. spell — a short time
  3. plane — a tool
  4. march — the month
  5. saw — the tool
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. degree — an amount
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. race — a contest
  15. saw — the tool
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. race — humankind
  18. branch — a division
  19. spell — letters
  20. race — the arms race
  21. spell — magic
  22. march — music
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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