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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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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: ball · perch · rest · face · shower · degree · lash · lean

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. rest — what's left
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. degree — from a university
  8. ball — a dance
  9. lean — to bend
  10. perch — the fish
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. face — part of the head
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rest — a break
  15. shower — rain
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rest — what's left
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. shower — to wash
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. face — to confront
  23. lean — thin
  24. ball — a great time

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