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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: band · fall · nail · sharp · charge · hide · march · cabinet

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fall — to drop
  3. sharp — clever
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. charge — a price
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — in control
  11. march — the month
  12. fall — the season
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. band — a music group
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. march — music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. band — a ring

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