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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.

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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: cabinet · march · chest · stand · deal · pound · spring · nail

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. spring — of water
  7. chest — a box
  8. spring — the season
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — a weight
  12. spring — a coil
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stand — to bear
  18. march — the month
  19. chest — of your body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. deal — to handle
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. chest — of your body

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