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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: pit · tear · fine · spell · degree · bank · lash · arm

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pit — a hole
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fine — high quality
  5. spell — magic
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. degree — temperature
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. fine — all right
  11. degree — from a university
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bank — for money
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. degree — an amount
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bank — of a river
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bank — for money
  24. arm — part of the body

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