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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: staff · plane · pound · pitcher · wake · last · degree · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. can — a tin
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. can — a tin
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. wake — a trail
  14. staff — employees
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. last — to go on
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. degree — an amount
  22. last — finally
  23. staff — employees
  24. last — final

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