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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. cell — a phone
  3. saw — the tool
  4. suit — in cards
  5. tear — to rip
  6. degree — an amount
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bound — certain
  11. tear — from crying
  12. suit — clothes
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. suit — to fit
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. degree — temperature
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. saw — the tool
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wave — of the sea

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