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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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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: cell · mine · racket · last · bowl · branch · bat · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. last — finally
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. last — to go on
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bat — the animal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. branch — a division
  20. mine — for digging
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. last — final

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