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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bass — the fish
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bulb — for light
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. band — a music group
  10. degree — from a university
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. date — the fruit
  13. degree — temperature
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bulb — for light
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bass — low music
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. band — a ring

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