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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 · spring · cold · drill · dip · arm · deal · ball

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. spring — the season
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. dip — to sink
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. drill — army training
  10. spring — of water
  11. ball — a great time
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. ball — a dance
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. drill — the tool
  20. cold — not warm
  21. drill — a practice
  22. spring — a coil
  23. deal — to handle
  24. dip — a sauce

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