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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. staff — employees
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. degree — temperature
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. saw — the tool
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. degree — an amount
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. staff — employees
  17. degree — from a university
  18. trunk — of a tree

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