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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mate · pitcher · degree · rush · bark · chip · land · lash

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. chip — for betting
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. rush — hurry
  10. chip — to eat
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. land — ground
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mate — a partner
  19. land — a country
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. land — to come down
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mate — a friend
  24. chip — in a computer

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