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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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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: pit · leaves · snap · cell · rash · fork · foot · band

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rash — a series
  5. snap — to click
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. band — a music group
  11. rash — hasty
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. pit — in a race
  19. foot — a measure
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. band — a ring
  22. cell — in biology
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rash — on the skin

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