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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: swing · spring · last · degree · coach · plane · hand · toast

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. degree — temperature
  3. swing — music
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. swing — in golf
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. plane — a tool
  9. toast — bread
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. hand — in cards
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. hand — help
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. degree — from a university
  20. swing — to play on
  21. last — final
  22. degree — an amount
  23. last — to go on
  24. spring — a coil

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