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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lash · pop · degree · tear · hide · chest · game · scale

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  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. tear — to rip
  2. scale — size or range
  3. degree — from a university
  4. tear — from crying
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pop — music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. degree — an amount
  11. pop — soda
  12. game — wild animals
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tear — from crying
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. degree — temperature
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pop — to visit
  20. chest — a box
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. scale — in music
  23. lash — to lash out
  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