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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. kick — in football
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — temperature
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — of a word
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. fine — high quality
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. scale — size or range
  16. root — the cause
  17. wake — a trail
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fine — all right
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. degree — an amount
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. scale — in music
  24. fine — a penalty

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