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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 116 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.

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: degree · spring · plane · drill · stick · tube · wind · bound

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. degree — temperature
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. spring — the season
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. drill — the tool
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bound — obliged
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. drill — army training
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tube — a container
  17. degree — from a university
  18. plane — a tool
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spring — of water
  24. drill — a practice

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