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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · degree · march · chair · craft · lash

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. march — the month
  4. chair — a leader
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — temperature
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. march — the month
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. march — music
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. craft — boats

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