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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. clip — for paper
  8. degree — an amount
  9. clip — a video
  10. root — the cause
  11. degree — from a university
  12. root — of a plant
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. root — of a word
  16. degree — temperature
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bound — certain

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