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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: rush · mine · coach · plane · bark · degree · jam · chest

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. rush — hurry
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. degree — an amount
  10. plane — a tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chest — a box
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bark — to shout
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. mine — for digging
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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