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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: club · pound · tear · plane · content · track · nail · degree

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. plane — a tool
  3. track — a path
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. content — the amount
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. pound — a weight
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. club — for golf
  10. degree — temperature
  11. track — a song
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. tear — from crying
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. tear — from crying
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. club — a group
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. content — happy
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. tear — to rip
  24. track — to keep track

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