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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.

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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: wave · degree · lash · fine · drill · bay · chest · stick

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. drill — army training
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. fine — high quality
  7. chest — a box
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — all right
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. degree — from a university
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chest — of your body
  22. drill — a practice
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. chest — of your body

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