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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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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 · fall · chest · roll · cell · fan · bore · march

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. march — the month
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. march — the month
  9. cell — in biology
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chest — of your body
  12. roll — a cake
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cell — a phone
  20. march — music
  21. fall — the season
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — to tire
  24. roll — a list

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