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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. plane — a tool
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. wake — a trail
  6. branch — a division
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. race — humankind
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pitch — completely
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bulb — for light
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. race — the arms race
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bulb — for light
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. race — a contest

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