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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.

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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: degree · band · spell · wake · press · sharp · branch · plane

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. branch — a division
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. press — to push
  6. spell — a short time
  7. degree — temperature
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. degree — from a university
  12. band — a music group
  13. sharp — clever
  14. press — newspapers
  15. degree — an amount
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. press — a publisher
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. band — a ring
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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