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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: pitcher · press · lash · cap · club · degree · cue · wave

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. club — for golf
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. press — to push
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. club — a group
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. cue — for pool
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. cue — a signal
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cue — a hint
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cap — of ice
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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