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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: fall · bulb · toast · march · spring · tear · season · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. season — in sport
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spring — of water
  5. fall — to drop
  6. season — of the year
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. tear — to rip
  9. fall — the season
  10. march — the month
  11. tear — from crying
  12. march — music
  13. toast — bread
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. tear — from crying
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bulb — for light
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. march — the month

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