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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 · row · fine · cold · spring · fan · craft · rush

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. craft — boats
  4. spring — a coil
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. spring — of water
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. fine — all right
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fine — high quality
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. craft — a skill
  18. spring — the season
  19. cold — not warm
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. row — to paddle
  24. rush — hurry

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