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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · pop · capital · net · tear · wave · plane · pass

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. capital — money
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. tear — from crying
  10. net — after costs
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. pop — soda
  13. pass — a permit
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. net — in sport
  16. plane — a tool
  17. capital — a city
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pop — music
  22. degree — temperature
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. net — for catching

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