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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 124 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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. band — a ring
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. can — a tin
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. degree — from a university
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. can — a tin
  10. band — a music group
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bore — to tire
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chest — a box
  17. bore — to drill
  18. tear — to rip
  19. plane — a tool
  20. chest — of your body
  21. degree — temperature
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chest — of your body
  24. tear — from crying

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