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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.

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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: rash · band · prune · lash · wax · craft · degree · season

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. degree — an amount
  3. prune — to trim
  4. season — in sport
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. band — a ring
  8. rash — hasty
  9. season — of the year
  10. rash — a series
  11. craft — a skill
  12. wax — to grow
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. band — a music group
  17. craft — boats
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. degree — temperature
  20. prune — to trim
  21. degree — from a university
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. lash — to lash out

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