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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: nail · plane · drill · degree · fan · pit · wave · hand

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. pit — in a race
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pit — a hole
  11. degree — temperature
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. hand — in cards
  15. drill — the tool
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. hand — help
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. drill — a practice
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. drill — army training

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