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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: degree · tube · can · lean · cell · staff · hide · date

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. tube — the underground
  3. staff — employees
  4. cell — in biology
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cell — a phone
  8. staff — employees
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. degree — an amount
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — a container
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. degree — temperature
  21. staff — a stick
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. date — the fruit
  24. degree — from a university

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