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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: bound · drill · lash · object · coach · degree · bat · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bound — certain
  5. degree — an amount
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bound — tied together
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bound — obliged
  16. drill — army training
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. object — to protest
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bat — the animal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wound — an injury

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