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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: cabinet · season · patient · degree · lean · foot · rule · wind

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rule — a law
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rule — government
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. season — in sport
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. foot — a measure
  11. degree — from a university
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. lean — to bend
  20. season — of the year
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lean — thin
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wind — moving air

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