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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. staff — a stick
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. spring — a coil
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. spring — of water
  9. stock — shares
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mine — for digging
  12. march — music
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. deal — to handle
  15. staff — employees
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. march — the month
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. march — the month
  21. stock — goods
  22. staff — employees
  23. spring — the season
  24. deal — an agreement

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