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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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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 · lash · ball · club · tear · arm · bulb · fork

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. tear — to rip
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bulb — for light
  5. club — a group
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fork — in a road
  9. degree — temperature
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. degree — an amount
  16. club — for golf
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. degree — from a university
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. arm — a part of something

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