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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: plane · row · fine · bat · shower · fork · degree · leaves

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. shower — rain
  6. row — a line
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. shower — to wash
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fine — high quality
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. row — to paddle
  21. fork — in a road
  22. degree — from a university
  23. fine — all right
  24. leaves — to go away

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