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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: lash · tear · bat · cue · stand · can · spell · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. stand — to bear
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. degree — temperature
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. tear — from crying
  12. can — a tin
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cue — for pool
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. degree — an amount
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cue — a hint
  22. spell — letters
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bat — the animal

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