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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: degree · bowl · ruler · lash · stem · season · capital · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. stem — to come from
  5. season — of the year
  6. degree — an amount
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. degree — temperature
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. net — in sport
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. net — after costs
  15. season — in sport
  16. capital — a city
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. capital — money
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stem — a stem cell

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