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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 120 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: dip · cabinet · trunk · degree · saw · spell · stock · season

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. season — of the year
  3. stock — goods
  4. degree — temperature
  5. spell — a short time
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stock — shares
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spell — letters
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. spell — magic
  20. season — in sport
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. degree — an amount
  24. saw — the tool

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