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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: rest · rule · lash · rock · straw · trunk · bass · degree

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rest — a break
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rest — what's left
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bass — low music
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rest — what's left
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rule — government
  20. degree — from a university
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rule — a law
  24. degree — temperature

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