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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: degree · lash · chest · snap · wave · nail · board · last

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. snap — to click
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. chest — a box
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. last — to go on
  8. board — to get on
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. board — a committee
  13. chest — of your body
  14. degree — an amount
  15. last — final
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. degree — from a university
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. chest — of your body
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. last — finally
  24. lash — to lash out

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