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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. season — of the year
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wax — to grow
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. spring — the season
  10. tear — to rip
  11. degree — from a university
  12. spring — a coil
  13. object — a thing
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. object — an aim
  16. tear — from crying
  17. file — a document
  18. spring — of water
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. file — a tool
  21. object — to protest
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. season — in sport

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