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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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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: mine · plane · wind · degree · bank · rash · tear · craft

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. wind — moving air
  4. craft — boats
  5. tear — from crying
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. rash — a series
  9. bank — of a river
  10. wind — moving air
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mine — for digging
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bank — for money
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. tear — from crying
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. rash — hasty
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. mine — an explosive

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