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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: lash · date · hide · scale · degree · tear · bound · board

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. degree — an amount
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bound — tied together
  6. tear — from crying
  7. board — to get on
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bound — certain
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. scale — size or range
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. date — the fruit
  18. board — a committee
  19. degree — temperature
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. scale — in music
  22. bound — obliged
  23. degree — from a university
  24. tear — from crying

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