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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: cabinet · march · deal · leaves · racket · stem · dip · hand

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. hand — help
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stem — to come from
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. dip — to sink
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. march — the month
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. march — music
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. hand — in cards
  24. racket — a loud noise

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