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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 116 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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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: mouse · plane · rest · cabinet · cold · mine · cap · pop

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. pop — to visit
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cap — a lid
  10. pop — soda
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cold — not warm
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pop — music
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. cap — a hat
  21. rest — a break
  22. plane — a tool
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cap — of ice

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