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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: squash · chip · fork · degree · drill · present · lean · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. squash — to crush
  5. degree — temperature
  6. lean — to bend
  7. squash — the sport
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. chip — for betting
  12. degree — from a university
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. land — ground
  16. fork — in a road
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. present — there
  19. present — a gift
  20. lean — thin
  21. degree — an amount
  22. land — to come down
  23. present — the time now
  24. chip — to eat

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