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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.

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: fan · season · cabinet · rule · bear · rash · mine · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. season — in sport
  5. bear — the animal
  6. season — of the year
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mine — for digging
  12. hand — in cards
  13. rule — government
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rash — a series
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. rule — a law
  18. rash — hasty
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rash — on the skin

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