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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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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: plane · bank · rest · mouse · race · degree · squash · fall

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. plane — a tool
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rest — what's left
  5. race — humankind
  6. bank — for money
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fall — to drop
  10. race — the arms race
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bank — of a river
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bank — for money
  15. degree — from a university
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. squash — to crush
  21. fall — the season
  22. race — a contest
  23. rest — a break
  24. plane — an aircraft

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