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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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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: fall · march · deal · racket · cabinet · prune · hide · cap

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. march — the month
  4. cap — a hat
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. prune — to trim
  8. march — music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. march — the month
  15. deal — to handle
  16. fall — the season
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cap — of ice
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cap — a lid

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