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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: lash · cabinet · rock · snap · wound · degree · wave · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. degree — an amount
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. snap — to click
  8. rock — music
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wound — an injury
  11. degree — from a university
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rock — a stone
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. degree — temperature
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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