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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. mug — to rob
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fall — to drop
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. prune — to trim
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. kick — in football
  15. fall — the season
  16. saw — the tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. mug — a face
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. saw — the tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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