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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: lash · foot · lie · degree · leaves · staff · pop · ground

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. ground — the earth
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. pop — to visit
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. degree — from a university
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pop — music
  15. staff — employees
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — a measure
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. ground — a position
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. leaves — lets stay

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