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

Word bank: lash · vault · bore · wind · degree · fork

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wind — moving air
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bore — to drill
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. vault — a safe
  13. fork — in a road
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bore — to tire

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