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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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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — a phone
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rash — hasty
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. tube — a container
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bass — low 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