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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 120 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: capital · plane · temple · mark · degree · drill · object · spring

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. drill — army training
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mark — a grade
  6. degree — an amount
  7. plane — a tool
  8. spring — the season
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. degree — temperature
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. drill — the tool
  17. object — an aim
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. spring — of water
  21. capital — a city
  22. degree — from a university
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mark — a trace

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