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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: leaves · tube · squash · chest · shower · pit · season · cell

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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. pit — a hole
  2. chest — of your body
  3. season — in sport
  4. cell — in biology
  5. squash — the sport
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pit — in a race
  12. shower — to wash
  13. tube — a container
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. shower — rain
  16. chest — a box
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cell — a phone
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. squash — to crush
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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