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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 120 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: bay · season · coach · degree · wind · cabinet · chest · mine

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. chest — of your body
  5. season — of the year
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. degree — from a university
  12. season — in sport
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. chest — a box
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. chest — of your body
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. mine — for digging

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