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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: nail · tear · racket · hand · season · cell · leaves · chip

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. chip — for betting
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. hand — help
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cell — a phone
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. season — in sport
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. season — of the year
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cell — in biology
  22. tear — from crying
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. hand — in cards

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