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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: bulb · staff · lash · rest · hand · degree · racket · ruler

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. rest — a break
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bulb — for light
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hand — in cards
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. hand — help
  20. degree — from a university
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. degree — an amount
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. degree — temperature

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