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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: wound · drill · mark · scale · hand · degree · season · stick

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. season — in sport
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. hand — help
  9. scale — size or range
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wound — an injury
  13. degree — an amount
  14. hand — in cards
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. drill — army training
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. season — of the year
  22. scale — in music
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a grade

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