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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: band · root · cold · pit · lie · cabinet · march · dip

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. dip — to sink
  3. cold — an illness
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a music group
  11. root — the cause
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pit — a hole
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. march — the month
  16. pit — in a race
  17. cold — not warm
  18. march — the month
  19. root — of a word
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. march — music
  24. root — of a plant

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