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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: date · degree · pound · season · spell · march · plane · roll

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. season — of the year
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. roll — a cake
  5. spell — magic
  6. pound — a weight
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. plane — a tool
  10. degree — temperature
  11. spell — a short time
  12. march — music
  13. roll — a list
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. degree — an amount
  16. season — in sport
  17. degree — from a university
  18. spell — letters
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. roll — on a roll

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