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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: rule · object · fall · stem · ground · lash · degree · temple

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. degree — from a university
  4. fall — to drop
  5. object — to protest
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. object — a thing
  8. degree — temperature
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. object — an aim
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — a law
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. ground — a position
  22. fall — the season
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rule — government

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