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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. shower — to wash
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. shower — rain
  8. face — to confront
  9. rush — hurry
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lean — thin
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bear — the animal
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bear — the animal
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. face — to point toward
  22. degree — from a university
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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