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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 120 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: spring · sharp · cabinet · march · staff · band · trunk · cap

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. cap — of ice
  6. band — a music group
  7. sharp — clever
  8. march — the month
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cap — a hat
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. band — a ring
  15. march — the month
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cap — a lid
  18. march — music
  19. spring — the season
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. staff — employees
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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