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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: cabinet · cell · suit · hide · fall · bear · drill · ground

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. cell — a phone
  3. ground — crushed
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fall — to drop
  6. suit — clothes
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. drill — the tool
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. suit — to fit
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. ground — a position
  14. drill — a practice
  15. fall — the season
  16. cell — in biology
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. fall — to drop
  20. suit — in cards
  21. bear — the animal
  22. drill — army training
  23. bear — the animal
  24. ground — the earth

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