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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. plane — a tool
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. degree — from a university
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. drill — army training
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. drill — a practice
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. drill — the tool
  18. degree — an amount
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. rash — hasty
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. rash — a series
  24. degree — temperature

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