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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 116 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: shower · plane · bear · pop · bass · degree · dip · pass

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. degree — an amount
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bass — the fish
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bass — low music
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pop — to visit
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pop — music
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. degree — temperature
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pop — soda
  24. plane — in geometry

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