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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: wave · temple · fork · degree · net · can · straw · lash

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. can — a tin
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. net — in sport
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. net — after costs
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. can — to be able to
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. net — for catching
  21. degree — from a university
  22. can — a tin
  23. fork — in a road
  24. lash — an eyelash

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