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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rest — what's left
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. lean — to bend
  11. degree — an amount
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. spell — letters
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spell — magic
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. degree — from a university
  23. lean — thin
  24. spell — a short time

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