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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: hide · march · spring · degree · tube · pitcher · cabinet · rock

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. degree — temperature
  4. march — the month
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rock — a stone
  8. march — the month
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. spring — of water
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. march — music
  17. spring — a coil
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. tube — a container
  22. spring — the season
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rock — music

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