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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 116 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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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: wake · rash · charge · spring · fall · cabinet · degree · racket

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. degree — from a university
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spring — the season
  6. degree — temperature
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. charge — a price
  13. spring — a coil
  14. charge — in control
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. spring — of water
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fall — the season
  22. charge — electricity
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rash — a series

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