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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: row · pitch · wave · bear · plane · net · cell · degree

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. row — a line
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. net — for catching
  5. degree — an amount
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. cell — in biology
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. net — after costs
  10. plane — a tool
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. cell — a phone
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pitch — completely
  15. row — to paddle
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bear — the animal
  23. net — in sport
  24. cell — in a prison

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