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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: stem · perch · degree · face · bore · deal · capital · plane

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bore — to tire
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. face — to confront
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. deal — to handle
  13. perch — the fish
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. degree — temperature
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bore — to drill
  20. degree — an amount
  21. capital — money
  22. stem — to come from
  23. face — to point toward
  24. deal — a big deal

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