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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cold — an illness
  3. land — a country
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. degree — from a university
  7. land — to come down
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bank — for money
  11. wound — an injury
  12. land — ground
  13. craft — a skill
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bank — for money
  16. bulb — for light
  17. degree — an amount
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bank — of a river
  22. wound — an injury
  23. craft — boats
  24. cold — not warm

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