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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mate — a friend
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bulb — for light
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. plane — a tool
  18. mate — to breed
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. degree — temperature
  24. plane — an aircraft

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