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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: degree · rest · lean · ground · mine · nail · stand · club

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rest — a break
  6. degree — an amount
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. club — for dancing
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. club — for golf
  13. degree — from a university
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. lean — thin
  16. club — a group
  17. ground — the earth
  18. rest — what's left
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mine — for digging
  21. ground — a position
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. stand — to bear
  24. nail — on a finger

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