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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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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: roll · chest · cabinet · mug · leaves · safe · cell · cold

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mug — to rob
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. chest — a box
  6. mug — a face
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cell — a phone
  9. roll — a cake
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mug — a cup
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. chest — of your body
  20. roll — a list
  21. chest — of your body
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cold — not warm

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