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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: mug · toast · spring · stock · degree · net · cabinet · land

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  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. degree — from a university
  3. net — for catching
  4. mug — a cup
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. degree — temperature
  9. spring — of water
  10. stock — goods
  11. net — in sport
  12. mug — to rob
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. spring — a coil
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mug — a face
  19. land — a country
  20. net — after costs
  21. toast — bread
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  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