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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. degree — from a university
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. scale — in music
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pound — a weight
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — all right
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. scale — size or range
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. lash — an eyelash

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