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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 120 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: spring · wave · fine · degree · straw · lash · branch · pound

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. spring — of water
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. branch — a division
  12. degree — an amount
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fine — all right
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pound — a weight
  20. spring — the season
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. wave — of the sea

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