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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: march · degree · spell · leaves · cabinet · field · bulb · bay

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. field — a subject
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. spell — magic
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. field — for sport
  15. march — the month
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bulb — for light
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. field — farmland
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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