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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: racket · drill · wake · face · bore · degree · plane · pit

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. drill — army training
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bore — to tire
  11. plane — a tool
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pit — in a race
  16. drill — the tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. face — to confront
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. drill — a practice
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bore — to drill

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