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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: lash · pass · degree · ground · can · pitcher · fine · trunk

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. can — a tin
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pass — a permit
  11. can — to be able to
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. ground — a position
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fine — all right
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. degree — from a university
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. can — a tin
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pass — to spend time

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