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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cue · spring · cap · land · plane · dip · mate · degree

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. cue — a hint
  4. land — a country
  5. spring — a coil
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. degree — temperature
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. mate — to breed
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cap — a lid
  17. mate — a partner
  18. cap — a hat
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. plane — a tool
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. spring — of water
  24. mate — a friend

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