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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: wind · row · swing · plane · bear · foot · degree · land

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. wind — moving air
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. land — to come down
  8. swing — to play on
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. land — ground
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. bear — the animal
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. degree — from a university
  17. foot — a measure
  18. land — a country
  19. degree — an amount
  20. row — a line
  21. bear — the animal
  22. degree — temperature
  23. wind — moving air
  24. row — a quarrel

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