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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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468
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: cap · cabinet · bank · cell · degree · spring · stock · bark

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. spring — a coil
  5. cap — a hat
  6. stock — shares
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bank — of a river
  9. stock — goods
  10. spring — of water
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. spring — the season
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. cap — of ice
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cell — a phone

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