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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bulb — for light
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bound — tied together
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. degree — an amount
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wake — a trail
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. degree — from a university
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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