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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.

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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: stand · plane · current · rule · march · degree · tear · cell

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. current — electric
  3. march — the month
  4. stand — to bear
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. degree — from a university
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rule — a law
  10. degree — an amount
  11. current — happening now
  12. plane — a tool
  13. cell — a phone
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. degree — temperature
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. march — the month
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. rule — government
  21. current — of water
  22. cell — in biology
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. rule — to rule out

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