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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
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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: nail · stem · hide · game · rash · cabinet · squash · degree

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rash — hasty
  4. game — wild animals
  5. degree — an amount
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. degree — from a university
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stem — to come from
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. degree — temperature
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rash — a series
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. game — a match

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