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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 · wind · squash · scale · lash · nail · rest · bowl

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. degree — temperature
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wind — moving air
  11. scale — in music
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. rest — a break
  14. scale — size or range
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. rest — what's left
  18. squash — the sport
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. degree — from a university
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lash — to lash out

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