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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: march · roll · present · season · drill · cell · hide · spring

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — a coil
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spring — of water
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. roll — a cake
  10. march — music
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. present — the time now
  13. drill — the tool
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. present — there
  16. season — in sport
  17. drill — a practice
  18. roll — a list
  19. season — of the year
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. drill — army training
  23. present — a gift
  24. cell — a phone

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