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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: lash · degree · hand · wound · dip · fall · rock · snap

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rock — a stone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fall — the season
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fall — to drop
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rock — music
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. wound — an injury
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. degree — temperature
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. snap — to click
  22. fall — to drop
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. degree — from a university

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