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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · mark · march · coach · spring · ground · cabinet · bulb

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bulb — for light
  4. march — the month
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. spring — of water
  9. mark — a grade
  10. ground — a position
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bulb — for light
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. spring — the season
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mark — a trace
  19. march — the month
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. file — a tool
  23. ground — the earth
  24. march — music

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