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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bound — certain
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bound — obliged
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bank — of a river
  7. degree — from a university
  8. drill — a practice
  9. dip — to sink
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bank — for money
  14. drill — the tool
  15. degree — an amount
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. drill — army training
  18. bound — tied together
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. row — to paddle
  22. kick — in football
  23. row — a line
  24. bank — for money

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