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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: clip · kick · mate · bank · lash · object · degree · bore

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — to protest
  4. bank — of a river
  5. degree — an amount
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. mate — to breed
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. kick — in football
  11. clip — to cut
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bank — for money
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bank — for money
  16. mate — a friend
  17. object — an aim
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. clip — a video
  20. bore — to drill
  21. clip — for paper
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bore — to tire

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