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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: can · rock · dip · rash · shower · lash · degree · bore

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bore — to tire
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. rash — a series
  6. bore — to drill
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. degree — temperature
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. rock — music
  17. degree — from a university
  18. shower — rain
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. shower — to wash
  21. can — a tin
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. dip — to sink
  24. can — a tin

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