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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: hide · pitch · degree · plane · wake · shower · saw · scale

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. plane — a tool
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. degree — from a university
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wake — a trail
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. degree — temperature
  16. scale — in music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitch — completely
  19. shower — rain
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. shower — to wash

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