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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 · nail · stand · fan · saw · chest · leaves

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. chest — of your body
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. chest — a box
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. stand — to bear
  23. spring — of water
  24. nail — for a hammer

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