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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 120 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
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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: cell · bear · fall · can · band · lie · spell · track

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. lie — to recline
  3. track — a song
  4. band — a music group
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fall — to drop
  9. spell — magic
  10. track — a path
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. spell — letters
  14. can — a tin
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. can — to be able to
  17. band — a ring
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cell — in biology
  20. spell — a short time
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. can — a tin
  23. fall — the season
  24. track — to keep track

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