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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: degree · plane · pop · wound · toast · patient · nail · kick

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. degree — temperature
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pop — soda
  9. degree — an amount
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. degree — from a university
  12. kick — in football
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wound — an injury
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. plane — a tool
  17. pop — to visit
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pop — music
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. toast — bread
  24. nail — for a hammer

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