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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: degree · rock · cabinet · mine · file · bulb · coach · lie

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. file — a document
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. file — a tool
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. degree — from a university
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rock — music
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bulb — for light
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. degree — an amount
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. rock — a stone
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bulb — for light
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. file — a line of people

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