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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
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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: mug · leaves · cell · plane · straw · pitch · mine · fall

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mug — a face
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fall — the season
  12. cell — in biology
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mine — for digging
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. plane — a tool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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