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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: cell · mug · rock · spell · bat · current · cap · leaves

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. current — happening now
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. cap — a hat
  8. rock — music
  9. current — of water
  10. spell — magic
  11. mug — a face
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mug — a cup
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. current — electric
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. spell — letters
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. leaves — of a tree

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