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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 · perch · field · pit · mug · degree · rest · lean

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rest — what's left
  5. field — a subject
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lean — thin
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. mug — a cup
  11. field — farmland
  12. pit — a hole
  13. mug — a face
  14. field — for sport
  15. degree — temperature
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. pit — in a race
  18. rest — what's left
  19. perch — the fish
  20. mug — to rob
  21. rest — a break
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lean — to bend

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