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

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. rest — what's left
  3. band — a ring
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. fall — the season
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. band — a music group
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fall — to drop
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. kid — child
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fall — to drop
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rest — a break
  22. wound — an injury
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. kid — to tease

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