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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wake — a trail
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bank — for money
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bank — for money
  11. degree — temperature
  12. game — a match
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. game — wild animals
  15. degree — from a university
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. date — the fruit
  19. degree — an amount
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bank — of a river
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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