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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. spring — the season
  7. dip — to sink
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. can — a tin
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. degree — temperature
  13. spring — of water
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. can — to be able to
  16. lean — thin
  17. can — a tin
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lean — to bend
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. spring — a coil
  23. snap — to click
  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