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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rest — a break
  4. fall — to drop
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. bank — of a river
  8. suit — to fit
  9. cell — in biology
  10. hand — help
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. suit — in cards
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. fall — the season
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bank — for money
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bank — for money
  20. rest — what's left
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. field — for sport
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rest — what's left

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