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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: cell · bay · drill · cabinet · rash · file · saw · spring

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. file — a document
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rash — a series
  8. spring — of water
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. spring — the season
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. spring — a coil
  17. drill — army training
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rash — hasty
  20. file — a line of people
  21. saw — the tool
  22. file — a tool
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. drill — the tool

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