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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: toast · lash · spring · hide · band · degree · dip · net

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. degree — from a university
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. dip — to sink
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — bread
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a ring
  14. degree — an amount
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. degree — temperature
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. net — after costs
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. spring — the season

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