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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 120 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: spring · plane · rule · march · stick · firm · degree · chip

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. march — the month
  4. plane — a tool
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — an amount
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. firm — decided
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. chip — to eat
  11. spring — the season
  12. march — the month
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. spring — of water
  15. march — music
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. firm — a company
  18. chip — for betting
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. rule — government
  21. firm — steady
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. spring — a coil
  24. rule — a law

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