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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
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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: march · field · mine · cell · present · cabinet · spell · hide

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cell — in biology
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. march — the month
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. field — for sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. field — a subject
  15. cell — a phone
  16. spell — magic
  17. mine — for digging
  18. present — the time now
  19. march — the month
  20. present — there
  21. field — farmland
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. spell — letters
  24. present — a gift

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