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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: mug · face · bass · degree · land · bark · cell · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. land — ground
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. face — to confront
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bass — the fish
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bark — to shout
  14. land — a country
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mug — a cup
  17. lean — to bend
  18. mug — to rob
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mug — a face
  22. lean — thin
  23. degree — from a university
  24. land — to come down

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