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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: lash · stick · season · fork · degree · present · tear · lie

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. tear — from crying
  3. degree — temperature
  4. fork — in a road
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. season — in sport
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. degree — an amount
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. present — the time now
  19. lie — to recline
  20. tear — to rip
  21. degree — from a university
  22. present — a gift
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. lie — an untruth

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