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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: current · march · bound · degree · chest · mate · mark · plane

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. plane — a tool
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mark — a trace
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. current — of water
  8. march — music
  9. current — happening now
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — a partner
  13. degree — from a university
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bound — certain
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. current — electric
  18. degree — temperature
  19. chest — a box
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mark — a grade

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