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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 116 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: cap · pound · plane · fork · wave · degree · sharp · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. degree — an amount
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. cap — a lid
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. degree — from a university
  12. plane — a tool
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cap — of ice
  15. track — a song
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. track — to keep track
  19. fork — in a road
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. cap — a hat
  22. pound — a weight
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. pound — to hit hard

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