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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: shower · prune · stick · plane · fall · root · degree · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. shower — to wash
  4. degree — an amount
  5. root — of a word
  6. prune — to trim
  7. root — the cause
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. degree — temperature
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. fall — to drop
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. degree — from a university
  15. fall — the season
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. prune — to trim
  18. root — of a plant
  19. shower — rain
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. plane — a tool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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