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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 · land · craft · staff · mine · rash · object · firm

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. firm — a company
  3. object — a thing
  4. staff — a stick
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. land — ground
  7. firm — decided
  8. staff — employees
  9. land — to come down
  10. rash — hasty
  11. craft — a skill
  12. mine — for digging
  13. staff — employees
  14. degree — an amount
  15. object — to protest
  16. firm — steady
  17. degree — from a university
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. rash — a series
  20. degree — temperature
  21. craft — boats
  22. land — a country
  23. object — an aim
  24. mine — an explosive

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