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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
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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: last · deal · rest · bark · jam · plane · degree · spell

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. rest — a break
  7. deal — to handle
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. last — final
  10. plane — a tool
  11. spell — magic
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. degree — an amount
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. last — to go on
  16. spell — letters
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bark — to shout
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rest — what's left
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. spell — a short time

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