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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. spring — a coil
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. race — the arms race
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. degree — temperature
  10. spring — the season
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. snap — to click
  13. spring — of water
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. date — the fruit
  16. degree — an amount
  17. craft — boats
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. race — a contest
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. race — humankind
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. degree — from a university
  24. craft — a skill

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