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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: bat · plane · degree · deal · bear · dip · wind · rash

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. rash — a series
  3. degree — an amount
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rash — hasty
  8. dip — to sink
  9. wind — moving air
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bear — the animal
  12. plane — a tool
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. deal — to handle
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bear — the animal
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. rash — on the skin

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