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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.

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: bear · lash · bat · current · hide · stem · degree · cabinet

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. stem — to come from
  9. current — happening now
  10. degree — an amount
  11. current — of water
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bat — the animal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. current — electric
  24. degree — temperature

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