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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
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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: date · march · cabinet · spring · hide · tear · spell · capital

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. spring — the season
  6. date — the fruit
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. tear — from crying
  12. march — music
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. march — the month
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. spring — of water
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. spell — letters
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. tear — to rip

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