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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: band · lie · lash · prune · can · hand · scale · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. can — a tin
  8. degree — from a university
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. hand — help
  13. degree — temperature
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. can — a tin
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. can — to be able to
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. prune — to trim
  20. hand — in cards
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. band — a ring
  23. prune — to trim
  24. band — a music group

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