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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · degree · wave · saw · pitcher · craft · race · lash

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. craft — a skill
  5. net — for catching
  6. degree — from a university
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. race — humankind
  9. net — in sport
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. race — the arms race
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. net — after costs
  24. craft — boats

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