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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 116 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
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: march · bay · cabinet · mine · net · tube · leaves · cap

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cap — of ice
  3. march — music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. net — after costs
  6. cap — a lid
  7. mine — for digging
  8. net — for catching
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. tube — a container
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. net — in sport
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. tube — the underground
  18. march — the month
  19. cap — a hat
  20. march — the month
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. tube — in a tire

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