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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cold — not warm
  3. degree — temperature
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. march — the month
  6. degree — from a university
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. march — the month
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cold — an illness
  13. board — a committee
  14. stem — to come from
  15. tube — the underground
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. degree — an amount
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. tube — a container
  22. board — to get on
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. march — music

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