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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 120 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: ball · stick · saw · wind · degree · mine · plane · mate

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. plane — a tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. wind — moving air
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mate — to breed
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. ball — a dance
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. degree — from a university
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mine — for digging

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