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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.

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: season · squash · degree · bark · rash · cabinet · perch · bulb

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. rash — a series
  6. bark — to shout
  7. squash — to crush
  8. perch — the fish
  9. degree — temperature
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. squash — the sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — in sport
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rash — hasty
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bulb — for light
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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