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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.

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: nail · mine · object · ground · plane · degree · game · stand

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. stand — to bear
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. object — to protest
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. object — an aim
  7. game — a match
  8. degree — an amount
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. ground — crushed
  13. degree — temperature
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. mine — for digging
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. degree — from a university
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. plane — a tool
  24. object — a thing

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