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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 · fall · cell · straw · rush · scale · deal · march

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cell — a phone
  3. fall — to drop
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. rush — hurry
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. scale — in music
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. fall — the season
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. march — music
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. march — the month
  16. cell — in biology
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. scale — size or range
  19. march — the month
  20. deal — to handle
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. fall — to drop
  24. scale — for weighing

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