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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.

Words on the sheet
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: craft · cold · cabinet · degree · ball · staff · stem · season

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. cold — an illness
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. ball — a great time
  7. degree — from a university
  8. staff — employees
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. staff — employees
  12. stem — to come from
  13. season — of the year
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. season — in sport
  21. degree — temperature
  22. craft — boats
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. craft — a skill

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