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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. degree — temperature
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. spell — a short time
  5. lean — to bend
  6. row — to paddle
  7. plane — a tool
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. bass — low music
  11. spell — letters
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. spell — magic
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. degree — from a university
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. degree — an amount
  21. branch — a division
  22. tube — a container
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — in geometry

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