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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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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: lie · cell · snap · bulb · hide · last · net · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. snap — to click
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. last — to go on
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bulb — for light
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — a phone
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. last — finally
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. last — final
  15. net — after costs
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. net — in sport
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. lie — to recline
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. net — for catching
  22. bulb — for light
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cell — in biology

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