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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: degree · cold · last · object · net · spring · plane · mouse

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. cold — an illness
  5. object — an aim
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. last — final
  8. degree — from a university
  9. plane — a tool
  10. cold — not warm
  11. last — to go on
  12. spring — of water
  13. last — finally
  14. degree — an amount
  15. net — for catching
  16. object — a thing
  17. net — after costs
  18. spring — a coil
  19. object — to protest
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. spring — the season
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. degree — temperature
  24. net — in sport

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