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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: club · wound · cell · leaves · toast · fine · charge · fall

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. charge — electricity
  3. club — for golf
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. charge — a price
  8. wound — an injury
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. charge — in control
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. fall — to drop
  14. toast — bread
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cell — in biology
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fine — high quality

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