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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: lean · degree · drill · squash · net · plane · bat · coach

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  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. plane — an aircraft
  2. bat — the animal
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. lean — thin
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — a practice
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. net — for catching
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — after costs
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. squash — to crush
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. degree — temperature
  20. lean — to bend
  21. squash — the sport
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. plane — a tool
  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