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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.

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: band · season · cabinet · mine · march · mate · cold · stand

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mate — to breed
  4. march — the month
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cold — not warm
  8. march — music
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. stand — to bear
  12. season — of the year
  13. mate — a friend
  14. band — a music group
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mate — a partner
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. season — in sport
  24. cold — an illness

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