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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. press — a publisher
  3. spell — magic
  4. staff — employees
  5. object — an aim
  6. staff — a stick
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. march — music
  9. object — to protest
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. spell — letters
  14. press — newspapers
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. object — a thing
  18. spell — a short time
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. degree — from a university
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. staff — employees
  24. press — to push

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