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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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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: hand · rest · rush · coach · leaves · plane · degree · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rush — hurry
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. scale — in music
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. degree — from a university
  11. hand — in cards
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rest — what's left
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — temperature
  17. rest — what's left
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. scale — size or range
  23. rest — a break
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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