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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: fall · saw · cabinet · mine · content · rash · bore · stick

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. content — the amount
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. content — happy
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fall — to drop
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rash — a series
  20. fall — the season
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bore — to drill
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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