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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 116 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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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: degree · deal · tear · fan · lash · pound · mark · kick

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. mark — a grade
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. deal — to handle
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. kick — in football
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pound — a weight
  13. degree — an amount
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. degree — temperature
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mark — a trace
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. tear — to rip
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pound — to hit hard

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