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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 120 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 · pound · tube · mate · club · capital · fall · mark

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. capital — money
  6. club — a group
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. fall — to drop
  9. tube — the underground
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. pound — a weight
  13. club — for golf
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. mark — a trace
  16. fall — the season
  17. club — for dancing
  18. mate — a friend
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. fall — to drop
  22. capital — a city
  23. mate — to breed
  24. tube — a container

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