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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: rule · degree · mine · stand · staff · bat · lean · straw

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rule — a law
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. lean — to bend
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bat — the animal
  19. stand — to bear
  20. degree — temperature
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. degree — an amount
  23. lean — thin
  24. rule — government

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