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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 116 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: chip · staff · tube · wound · plane · pound · object · degree

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — temperature
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. degree — from a university
  9. chip — for betting
  10. plane — a tool
  11. chip — to eat
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. object — to protest
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. object — a thing
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. staff — employees
  19. tube — a container
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pound — a weight
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. object — an aim
  24. staff — employees

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