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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lie · land · tube · staff · ball · kid · degree · stand

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. stand — to bear
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. land — to come down
  7. kid — to tease
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. land — ground
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. land — a country
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. staff — a stick
  16. lie — to recline
  17. ball — a dance
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. staff — employees
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. degree — from a university
  23. ball — a great time
  24. staff — employees

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