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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: mate · cell · leaves · mug · bat · pop · band · bore

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pop — to visit
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. mug — a face
  7. cell — a phone
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pop — soda
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pop — music
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. band — a ring
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. mug — a cup
  21. cell — in biology
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. mate — to breed

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