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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. tube — the underground
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. degree — temperature
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. branch — a division
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. degree — an amount
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. tube — a container
  17. degree — from a university
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. kick — in football
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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