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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: fine · band · net · stem · rush · march · season · cabinet

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. net — for catching
  3. march — the month
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. net — in sport
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rush — hurry
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a music group
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fine — high quality
  12. march — the month
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. march — music
  21. net — after costs
  22. season — of the year
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. season — in sport

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