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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. degree — temperature
  3. last — final
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. root — of a word
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — a tool
  9. degree — from a university
  10. root — the cause
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. scale — size or range
  13. last — finally
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. scale — in music
  16. wake — a trail
  17. saw — the tool
  18. degree — an amount
  19. root — of a plant
  20. tube — a container
  21. last — to go on
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. tube — the underground
  24. saw — the tool

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