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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: content · degree · press · plane · staff · game · spring · board

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. game — wild animals
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. game — a match
  7. press — newspapers
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. board — to get on
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. staff — employees
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. spring — a coil
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. degree — an amount
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. board — a committee
  20. press — to push
  21. spring — the season
  22. press — a publisher
  23. plane — a tool
  24. spring — of water

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