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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: trunk · fall · present · spring · sharp · cabinet · wind · cap

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spring — of water
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wind — moving air
  7. present — there
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. spring — the season
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. present — the time now
  14. cap — of ice
  15. fall — the season
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. present — a gift
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. sharp — clever
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cap — a hat

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