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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: hand · wave · lash · straw · degree · bowl · temple · staff

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. staff — a stick
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. hand — help
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. degree — from a university
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. degree — an amount
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bowl — a dish

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