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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 · charge · hand · row · foot · lean · plane · pitcher

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. charge — a price
  3. degree — an amount
  4. row — a line
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. foot — a measure
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. charge — in control
  12. lean — thin
  13. hand — in cards
  14. degree — temperature
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. charge — electricity
  17. degree — from a university
  18. hand — help
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. plane — a tool
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. row — to paddle
  24. foot — part of the body

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