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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · lie · cell · leaves · racket · fine · field · tube

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. lie — to recline
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. tube — the underground
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cell — in biology
  10. clip — for paper
  11. fine — all right
  12. clip — to cut
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. tube — a container
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. clip — a video
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cell — a phone
  24. field — a subject

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