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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: kid · net · mug · lash · fan · degree · bark · ball

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mug — a face
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mug — to rob
  5. degree — from a university
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. degree — an amount
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. degree — temperature
  13. net — in sport
  14. ball — a dance
  15. kid — child
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. kid — to tease
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mug — a cup
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. net — after costs
  22. ball — a great time
  23. net — for catching
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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