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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: sharp · fine · staff · lash · lean · wave · degree · land

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. land — a country
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — temperature
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. staff — a stick
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. staff — employees
  15. land — ground
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. land — to come down
  21. lean — thin
  22. fine — all right
  23. lean — to bend
  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