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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bank — of a river
  3. key — the most important part
  4. degree — temperature
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. degree — from a university
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cap — a lid
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. key — in music
  18. face — part of the head
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. cap — a hat
  24. lash — an eyelash

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