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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: wax · chest · cabinet · lash · degree · branch · spring · season

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. spring — the season
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. season — in sport
  7. degree — from a university
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. season — of the year
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. spring — of water
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. degree — temperature
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. spring — a coil
  19. degree — an amount
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. branch — a division
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. branch — of a bank

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