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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. lean — thin
  8. wound — an injury
  9. hand — help
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. degree — an amount
  13. lean — to bend
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. craft — boats
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. degree — temperature
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. hand — in cards
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. wound — an injury

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