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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: mine · leaves · snap · chest · cell · drill · dip · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chest — a box
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. dip — to sink
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. drill — a practice
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cell — in biology
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. drill — the tool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cell — a phone
  21. drill — army training
  22. snap — to click
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. chest — of your body

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