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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: game · staff · mug · degree · dip · craft · face · lean

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. mug — to rob
  3. face — to confront
  4. lean — thin
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. mug — a cup
  7. face — part of the head
  8. staff — a stick
  9. craft — a skill
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. craft — boats
  12. staff — employees
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. degree — temperature
  16. face — to point toward
  17. lean — to bend
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. degree — an amount
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. game — a match
  22. degree — from a university
  23. staff — employees
  24. mug — a face

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