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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 116 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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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: wound · calf · cell · leaves · march · saw · rule · racket

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rule — government
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rule — a law
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wound — an injury
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. saw — the tool
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. cell — in biology
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. march — the month
  18. wound — an injury
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cell — in a prison

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