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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: plane · wake · pound · drill · rush · net · foot · degree

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. plane — a tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. net — for catching
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — army training
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. net — in sport
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rush — hurry
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. foot — a measure
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. net — after costs

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