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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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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: rash · tube · lash · file · bass · safe · vault · degree

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. vault — a safe
  4. degree — temperature
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. bass — the fish
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. file — a tool
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. tube — a container
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bass — low music
  13. degree — from a university
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. rash — a series
  21. degree — an amount
  22. file — a document
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. tube — the underground

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