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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: land · rest · bass · plane · degree · key · spring · calf

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. plane — a tool
  3. rest — a break
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. degree — temperature
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. land — to come down
  14. bass — the fish
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. land — ground
  19. spring — of water
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bass — low music
  23. key — in music
  24. land — a country

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