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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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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: band · can · stick · degree · bowl · lash · deal · hide

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. band — a music group
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. degree — an amount
  16. band — a ring
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. can — a tin
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. hide — to keep secret

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