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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: cabinet · march · track · cell · season · bowl · prune · bank

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bank — for money
  3. march — the month
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. track — a path
  7. march — music
  8. bank — of a river
  9. march — the month
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. track — to keep track
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. track — a song
  15. prune — to trim
  16. season — in sport
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. season — of the year
  21. bank — for money
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cell — in biology
  24. season — to add flavour

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