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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: plane · coach · last · content · degree · bore · mine · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. plane — a tool
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. content — the amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. last — finally
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. face — part of the head
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mine — for digging
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. degree — temperature
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. content — happy
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bore — to drill
  24. face — to confront

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