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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 116 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: rush · degree · saw · mark · bound · deal · wound · lash

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mark — a grade
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bound — obliged
  8. saw — the tool
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. mark — a trace
  16. wound — an injury
  17. degree — from a university
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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