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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: cabinet · content · wound · bulb · shower · toast · season · coach

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — happy
  6. season — in sport
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. season — of the year
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. content — the amount
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bulb — for light
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. shower — to wash
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. shower — rain
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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