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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 120 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: season · bear · march · spring · net · cue · track · cabinet

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. march — the month
  4. net — after costs
  5. bear — the animal
  6. net — for catching
  7. spring — the season
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. season — of the year
  10. march — the month
  11. net — in sport
  12. track — a song
  13. march — music
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. spring — of water
  16. track — to keep track
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. track — a path
  19. cue — a signal
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

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