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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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: can · season · fine · row · plane · degree · cell · wave

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. fine — all right
  7. can — to be able to
  8. season — in sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. cell — in biology
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. fine — high quality
  17. plane — a tool
  18. degree — an amount
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. row — a line
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. degree — temperature
  23. can — a tin
  24. wave — with your hand

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