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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: kick · degree · nail · arm · last · mark · rush · wave

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. degree — temperature
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. mark — a grade
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mark — a trace
  20. kick — in football
  21. rush — hurry
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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