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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: row · hand · tear · degree · season · wave · cabinet · net

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. tear — to rip
  3. net — for catching
  4. season — of the year
  5. hand — in cards
  6. net — after costs
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. net — in sport
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. row — a line
  19. degree — an amount
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. season — in sport
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. tear — from crying

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