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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. row — to paddle
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. spell — a short time
  11. band — a ring
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. degree — from a university
  17. prune — to trim
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. spell — letters
  20. row — a line
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. spell — magic
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. racket — a loud noise

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