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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: band · chair · lash · cabinet · deal · perch · leaves · degree

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. chair — a leader
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. degree — from a university
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. band — a music group
  9. deal — to handle
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. degree — temperature
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. band — a ring
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. perch — the fish
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. degree — an amount
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. cabinet — ministers

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