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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · leaves · date · mark · rush · wind · lash · wound

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wound — an injury
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rush — hurry
  11. mark — a grade
  12. date — the fruit
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wound — an injury
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. wind — moving air

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