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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. can — a tin
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. degree — temperature
  9. can — to be able to
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bound — obliged
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. branch — a division
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — to eat
  18. can — a tin
  19. squash — the sport
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. squash — to crush
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. squash — the vegetable

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