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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. drill — army training
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wake — a trail
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. firm — a company
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. band — a music group
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. firm — steady
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rash — a series
  22. drill — a practice
  23. band — a ring
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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