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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.

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 · rock · march · leaves · mate · drill · field · hide

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. drill — a practice
  3. field — for sport
  4. march — the month
  5. field — farmland
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. field — a subject
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rock — a stone
  14. mate — to breed
  15. drill — army training
  16. rock — music
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. march — the month
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mate — a friend
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. march — music
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. drill — the tool

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