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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: rush · degree · bulb · spring · lash · staff · wound · bowl

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. rush — hurry
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. degree — an amount
  11. staff — employees
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. spring — of water
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bulb — for light
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wound — an injury
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. staff — employees
  24. bowl — a football final

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