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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: hide · land · foot · degree · club · lean · plane · fan

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. degree — an amount
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. land — to come down
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. club — for dancing
  10. degree — temperature
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. land — a country
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. lean — to bend
  15. plane — a tool
  16. degree — from a university
  17. lean — thin
  18. foot — a measure
  19. land — ground
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. club — for golf
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. club — a group
  24. fan — a supporter

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