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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
468
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: stick · wound · plane · racket · craft · spring · degree · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. degree — temperature
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wound — an injury
  6. spring — a coil
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. craft — boats
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. spring — of water
  12. degree — from a university
  13. plane — a tool
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. can — a tin
  16. spring — the season
  17. wound — an injury
  18. can — a tin
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. craft — a skill
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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