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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: lie · hand · degree · rock · pitch · wax · plane · fan

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. hand — help
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. plane — a tool
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — completely
  16. rock — a stone
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rock — music
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wax — to grow

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