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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: charge · drill · rash · season · spring · cabinet · squash · degree

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  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 — a cupboard
  2. season — in sport
  3. degree — temperature
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. degree — from a university
  6. spring — of water
  7. degree — an amount
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rash — hasty
  11. squash — to crush
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. season — of the year
  14. drill — the tool
  15. charge — a price
  16. spring — a coil
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. charge — electricity
  21. drill — army training
  22. squash — the sport
  23. charge — in control
  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