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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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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: season · bay · fall · degree · stem · row · cabinet · pitcher

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. season — of the year
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stem — to come from
  11. fall — to drop
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. fall — the season
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. degree — temperature
  24. row — a line

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