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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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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: deal · pound · degree · lash · mate · bank

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bank — for money
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bank — for money
  5. mate — a friend
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — temperature
  8. mate — to breed
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bank — of a river
  16. deal — to handle
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pound — to hit hard

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