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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · dip · pitcher · land · plane · spring · degree · wave

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. spring — the season
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. spring — of water
  8. press — a publisher
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. land — a country
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. press — to push
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. land — to come down
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. dip — to sink
  21. land — ground
  22. degree — an amount
  23. spring — a coil
  24. degree — from a university

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