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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: jam · march · rush · trunk · cell · root · cold · cabinet

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. root — the cause
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. cell — in biology
  5. march — the month
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. root — of a word
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rush — hurry
  13. cold — an illness
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. root — of a plant
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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