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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: staff · cabinet · mine · net · pop · march · bear · object

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. staff — employees
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pop — music
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. net — in sport
  9. march — the month
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bear — the animal
  12. net — for catching
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. object — an aim
  15. mine — for digging
  16. net — after costs
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pop — soda
  19. march — music
  20. object — to protest
  21. march — the month
  22. object — a thing
  23. pop — to visit
  24. staff — employees

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