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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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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 · plane · last · bay · degree · charge · tear · march

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. charge — a price
  3. last — finally
  4. wound — an injury
  5. degree — an amount
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. tear — from crying
  8. last — to go on
  9. plane — a tool
  10. march — the month
  11. degree — from a university
  12. tear — from crying
  13. last — final
  14. tear — to rip
  15. charge — in control
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. march — music
  18. charge — electricity
  19. wound — an injury
  20. march — the month
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. plane — an aircraft

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