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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fan · stock · present · plane · spell · degree · lean · temple

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. plane — a tool
  4. present — the time now
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. lean — to bend
  7. degree — an amount
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. degree — from a university
  14. present — a gift
  15. stock — goods
  16. spell — letters
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. present — there
  19. degree — temperature
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. spell — magic
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fan — a supporter

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