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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: lash · arm · degree · roll · trunk · face · cue · fall

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. fall — the season
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. degree — temperature
  6. cue — a hint
  7. face — to point toward
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fall — to drop
  12. degree — an amount
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. cue — for pool
  15. face — part of the head
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. roll — a list
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. face — to confront
  21. fall — to drop
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. roll — a cake

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