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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: degree · deal · lash · rest · wind · snap · perch · pit

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. rest — a break
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. pit — a hole
  7. snap — to click
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. degree — from a university
  12. deal — to handle
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. degree — temperature
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rest — what's left
  18. degree — an amount
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pit — in a race
  22. perch — the fish
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rest — what's left

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