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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
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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: staff · hide · spring · board · fan · spell · cabinet · march

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. march — music
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. march — the month
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. board — a committee
  10. spell — letters
  11. spring — the season
  12. march — the month
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. spell — a short time
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. spell — magic
  18. staff — employees
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. board — to get on
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. spring — of water
  24. staff — a stick

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