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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: content · plane · wave · present · season · degree · snap · shower

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. shower — to wash
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. degree — from a university
  6. season — of the year
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. present — the time now
  11. plane — a tool
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to click
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. shower — rain
  17. present — a gift
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. degree — temperature
  23. season — in sport
  24. present — there

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