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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: degree · mate · bowl · stand · cabinet · mine · drill · wave

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mate — to breed
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. degree — from a university
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. degree — temperature
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. drill — army training
  20. stand — to bear
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mate — a friend
  24. stand — on your feet

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