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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: staff · land · nail · can · cap · degree · pitcher · bass

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cap — a lid
  4. land — ground
  5. staff — employees
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cap — a hat
  8. land — a country
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bass — low music
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. can — a tin
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. staff — a stick
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. can — a tin
  21. bass — the fish
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. land — to come down

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