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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: fall · board · mark · toast · cell · staff · scale · tube

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. staff — employees
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. toast — bread
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. tube — the underground
  8. board — to get on
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cell — in biology
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. scale — size or range
  13. fall — the season
  14. staff — employees
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. scale — in music
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tube — a container
  21. staff — a stick
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fall — to drop
  24. board — a committee

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