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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 120 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: bound · degree · mouse · cabinet · kick · rush · tear · lash

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. tear — from crying
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. tear — to rip
  6. kick — in football
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bound — certain
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bound — tied together
  12. rush — hurry
  13. degree — an amount
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bound — obliged
  18. degree — from a university
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. degree — temperature

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