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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 120 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: mark · content · degree · face · plane · file · pop · branch

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. degree — from a university
  3. face — to confront
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. file — a tool
  6. degree — an amount
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pop — to visit
  10. file — a line of people
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. branch — a division
  14. mark — a trace
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pop — soda
  18. mark — a grade
  19. file — a document
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pop — music
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. degree — temperature
  24. plane — a tool

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