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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · saw · racket · face · mug · date · tube · cell

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. mug — a cup
  4. cell — in biology
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mug — a face
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to confront
  12. staff — a stick
  13. cell — a phone
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. saw — the tool
  17. tube — a container
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. face — to point toward
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mug — to rob
  23. date — the fruit
  24. racket — for tennis

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