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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. roll — a cake
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. roll — a list
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bulb — for light
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bulb — for light
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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