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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · degree · mate · land · lean · key · date · tube

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. key — in music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. mate — a friend
  6. tube — a container
  7. lean — to bend
  8. degree — from a university
  9. lean — thin
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. mate — a partner
  13. land — a country
  14. mate — to breed
  15. date — the fruit
  16. key — for a lock
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. land — to come down
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. degree — an amount
  22. tube — the underground
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. land — ground

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