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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: drill · key · bear · perch · field · plane · straw · degree

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. field — for sport
  12. bear — the animal
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. degree — from a university
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. degree — temperature
  18. key — the most important part
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. plane — a tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. key — for a lock
  23. drill — army training
  24. key — in music

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