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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. key — for a lock
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bear — the animal
  6. last — finally
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. prune — to trim
  9. degree — from a university
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. degree — an amount
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bear — the animal
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. key — in music
  17. last — to go on
  18. key — the most important part
  19. last — final
  20. row — a line
  21. degree — temperature
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. dip — to sink
  24. lash — an eyelash

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