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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: deal · plane · tube · pop · stem · court · degree · patient

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. plane — a tool
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. stem — to come from
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. tube — a container
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. degree — temperature
  16. court — for sport
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. tube — the underground
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. deal — to handle
  24. stem — of a plant

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