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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: content · plane · race · degree · lean · press · wake · charge

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. charge — in control
  3. lean — to bend
  4. degree — from a university
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. degree — temperature
  7. lean — thin
  8. charge — electricity
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. charge — a price
  13. content — happy
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. content — the amount
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. degree — an amount
  18. press — to push
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — the arms race
  22. wake — a trail
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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