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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 · kid · staff · march · perch · lie · cabinet · lash

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. staff — a stick
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. season — of the year
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. staff — employees
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. march — the month
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. march — the month
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. season — in sport
  20. perch — the fish
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. march — music
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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