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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: wound · cabinet · degree · stem · calf · hide · season · press

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. press — to push
  7. degree — temperature
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. season — of the year
  11. wound — an injury
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. degree — from a university
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. press — newspapers
  19. degree — an amount
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. season — in sport
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. press — a publisher
  24. calf — a young animal

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