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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: cabinet · land · mark · vault · pop · field · hide · cell

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mark — a trace
  3. field — a subject
  4. mark — a grade
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. land — to come down
  8. field — for sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. land — ground
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pop — music
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. field — farmland
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pop — soda
  24. land — a country

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