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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: cabinet · march · bulb · drill · saw · rush · ball · calf

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bulb — for light
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. march — the month
  11. bulb — for light
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. drill — a practice
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. drill — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ball — a dance
  20. drill — army training
  21. march — music
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. calf — a young animal

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