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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · lash · tube · degree · land · pass · mark · march

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pass — a permit
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. degree — temperature
  7. land — a country
  8. march — the month
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. degree — an amount
  11. cell — in biology
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mark — a trace
  18. march — music
  19. land — ground
  20. march — the month
  21. cell — a phone
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mark — a grade
  24. tube — a container

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