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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: cabinet · bay · track · spring · pop · dip · degree · plane

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pop — to visit
  3. spring — of water
  4. pop — soda
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. plane — a tool
  7. pop — music
  8. track — a song
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. track — to keep track
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. track — a path
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. degree — from a university
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. dip — to sink
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. spring — the season
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. spring — a coil

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