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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: bay · lean · fork · pass · land · degree · tube · leaves

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. pass — a permit
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. degree — from a university
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. land — ground
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. lean — thin
  12. degree — temperature
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. fork — in a road
  15. land — to come down
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. land — a country
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. degree — an amount
  21. tube — a container
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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