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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: degree · press · shower · plane · row · root · kid · nail

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. press — a publisher
  3. root — the cause
  4. degree — temperature
  5. row — to paddle
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. degree — an amount
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. kid — child
  11. root — of a word
  12. degree — from a university
  13. press — newspapers
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. row — a line
  17. shower — to wash
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. shower — rain
  20. kid — to tease
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. press — to push
  23. plane — a tool
  24. root — 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