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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.

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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: pound · bulb · charge · degree · row · lash · cold · branch

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. degree — from a university
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bulb — for light
  7. row — a line
  8. degree — temperature
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. charge — a price
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pound — a weight
  18. charge — in control
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. branch — a division
  21. cold — not warm
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. charge — electricity
  24. cold — the Cold War

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