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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: lean · tube · leaves · coach · arm · mine · content · bat

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. lean — thin
  4. mine — for digging
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bat — the animal
  12. tube — a container
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. content — happy
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. content — the amount
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. leaves — lets stay

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