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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 116 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: file · object · degree · lash · bank · game · wind · stick

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. game — wild animals
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. file — a document
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wind — moving air
  14. object — to protest
  15. bank — for money
  16. degree — an amount
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. object — an aim
  20. bank — of a river
  21. object — a thing
  22. file — a tool
  23. wind — moving air
  24. degree — from a university

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