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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 120 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: wave · bass · mate · fine · lean · file · land · degree

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. file — a tool
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. lean — thin
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bass — low music
  9. file — a document
  10. bass — the fish
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. mate — a friend
  13. land — to come down
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. land — a country
  24. lean — to bend

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