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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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468
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: bound · pop · can · bowl · plane · degree · last · chest

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. can — a tin
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. can — to be able to
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bound — certain
  9. degree — from a university
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. pop — soda
  12. plane — a tool
  13. chest — a box
  14. pop — to visit
  15. last — to go on
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. pop — music
  20. last — finally
  21. bound — tied together
  22. can — a tin
  23. bound — obliged
  24. last — final

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