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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: cell · cold · temple · saw · march · mark · bass · cabinet

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. mark — a trace
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bass — the fish
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cell — in biology
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. march — the month
  15. saw — the tool
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. cell — a phone
  18. mark — a grade
  19. march — the month
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bass — low music
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. march — music
  24. cabinet — ministers

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