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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: prune · plane · coach · nail · degree · drill · stock · mine

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. drill — army training
  6. plane — a tool
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. degree — from a university
  9. prune — to trim
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. drill — a practice
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. mine — for digging
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. drill — the tool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stock — shares
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. coach — a trainer

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