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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: rush · file · lash · fork · bound · tear · degree · pass

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. rush — hurry
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bound — certain
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. tear — to rip
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a tool
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. file — a document
  24. bound — tied together

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