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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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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: stick · lash · degree · trunk · land · bark · saw · press

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. press — a publisher
  4. degree — temperature
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bark — to shout
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. land — to come down
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. land — ground
  11. press — newspapers
  12. saw — the tool
  13. press — to push
  14. saw — the tool
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. land — a country
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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