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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.

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: foot · chest · cabinet · spring · spell · squash · wave · degree

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. chest — of your body
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. degree — temperature
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. chest — a box
  13. spring — a coil
  14. squash — to crush
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. chest — of your body
  17. spring — the season
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — letters
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. spell — magic
  22. foot — a measure
  23. spring — of water
  24. degree — from a university

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