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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: mine · temple · rule · cabinet · stem · season · mark · drill

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — government
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mark — a grade
  10. rule — a law
  11. drill — a practice
  12. stem — to come from
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. season — in sport
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. drill — the tool
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. drill — army training
  20. mine — for digging
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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