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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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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: wind · plane · track · toast · key · bulb · content · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. track — to keep track
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. toast — bread
  5. content — happy
  6. plane — a tool
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. track — a song
  10. content — the amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bulb — for light
  14. track — a path
  15. key — in music
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wind — moving air
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. key — for a lock

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