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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: drill · hand · cap · scale · leaves · last · row · cell

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. scale — size or range
  4. hand — help
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cap — of ice
  7. row — to paddle
  8. scale — in music
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. last — finally
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. last — final
  14. cell — in biology
  15. hand — in cards
  16. row — a line
  17. cap — a lid
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. cap — a hat
  20. last — to go on
  21. drill — army training
  22. cell — a phone
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. drill — the tool

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