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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. lash — to lash out
  2. object — to protest
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. present — the time now
  5. bear — the animal
  6. scale — in music
  7. object — an aim
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. spring — the season
  10. root — the cause
  11. present — a gift
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. object — a thing
  14. root — of a word
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bear — the animal
  18. present — there
  19. scale — size or range
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. spring — of water
  22. root — of a plant
  23. spring — a coil
  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