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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: degree · hide · lash · row · wake · mate · ball · wave

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. row — to paddle
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wake — a trail
  9. degree — an amount
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — a partner
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mate — to breed
  15. degree — from a university
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. ball — a great time

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