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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: season · cabinet · cue · fall · drill · field · object · shower

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. object — an aim
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. object — a thing
  8. drill — the tool
  9. field — for sport
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. season — of the year
  14. fall — to drop
  15. object — to protest
  16. fall — the season
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. season — in sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. cue — for pool
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. fall — to drop

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