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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: saw · mark · rash · degree · plane · wake · fine · file

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. fine — high quality
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. plane — a tool
  10. rash — a series
  11. fine — all right
  12. file — a line of people
  13. degree — an amount
  14. file — a tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. rash — hasty
  21. file — a document
  22. mark — a grade
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wake — a trail

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