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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: shower · degree · plane · stand · mine · craft · arm · deal

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. craft — boats
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. shower — rain
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. stand — to bear
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. craft — a skill
  17. mine — for digging
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. degree — temperature
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — from a university
  24. deal — to handle

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