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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · season · vault · leaves · file · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. file — a line of people
  4. season — of the year
  5. file — a document
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. file — a tool
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. tear — to rip
  14. season — in sport
  15. cell — in biology
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. leaves — of a tree

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