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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 · staff · stand · lean · squash · bound · sharp · racket

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. lean — thin
  5. sharp — clever
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. squash — to crush
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. lean — to bend
  13. degree — an amount
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stand — to bear

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