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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · lash · club · fall · saw · degree · fine · squash

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bound — tied together
  5. club — for golf
  6. fall — the season
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. fall — to drop
  9. club — a group
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bound — certain
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. fine — high quality
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bound — obliged
  21. club — for dancing
  22. fine — all right
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. saw — the tool

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