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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.

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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 · fine · squash · drill · ground · club · bulb · spring

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. drill — a practice
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. drill — army training
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fine — high quality
  12. club — a group
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fine — all right
  15. spring — a coil
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bulb — for light
  19. drill — the tool
  20. club — for golf
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. ground — the earth

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