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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: degree · present · row · coach · capital · kid · rock · plane

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. row — to paddle
  3. rock — music
  4. row — a line
  5. degree — temperature
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. present — a gift
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. capital — money
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rock — a stone
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. degree — from a university
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. present — the time now
  22. capital — a city
  23. present — there
  24. degree — an amount

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