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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 · lean · saw · season · lash · racket · spring · degree

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. saw — the tool
  6. lean — to bend
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. lean — thin
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. season — of the year
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. spring — the season

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