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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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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. cell — in biology
  4. clip — a video
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. scale — size or range
  7. clip — for paper
  8. staff — employees
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bear — the animal
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. rest — a break
  13. bear — the animal
  14. staff — a stick
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. staff — employees
  19. rest — what's left
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. scale — in music
  22. rest — what's left
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. leaves — to go away

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