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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 120 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. degree — an amount
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bore — to drill
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. staff — employees
  10. degree — from a university
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. face — to confront
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bore — to tire
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. degree — temperature
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. staff — a stick

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