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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: tear · object · lash · lie · degree · club

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. object — a thing
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. club — for dancing
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. club — for golf
  10. object — to protest
  11. degree — from a university
  12. club — a group
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. object — an aim
  15. lie — to recline
  16. degree — temperature
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. degree — an amount

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