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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: bore · shower · content · rock · degree · plane · track · file

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rock — music
  7. degree — an amount
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bore — to drill
  10. track — a song
  11. rock — a stone
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. track — a path
  14. degree — from a university
  15. shower — to wash
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. plane — a tool
  18. file — a document
  19. shower — rain
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. file — a tool
  23. degree — temperature
  24. rock — to move gently

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