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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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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 · pound · bore · temple · spring · rule · pit · lash

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. rule — government
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. degree — from a university
  9. rule — a law
  10. degree — an amount
  11. spring — a coil
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. spring — of water
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. spring — the season
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bore — to tire

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