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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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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 · wave · rash · mine · hide · vault · degree · staff

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. staff — employees
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. staff — employees
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. staff — a stick
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — a safe
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. degree — an amount
  24. rash — a series

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