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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.

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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 · cabinet · row · press · drill · land · bass · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. land — ground
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bass — the fish
  6. spring — of water
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. land — a country
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. row — to paddle
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bass — low music
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. press — to push
  18. land — to come down
  19. drill — army training
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. press — newspapers
  22. row — a line
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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