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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 116 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. rest — a break
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cold — an illness
  6. root — of a plant
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — a tool
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. root — the cause
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cap — of ice
  18. root — of a word
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lean — to bend
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lean — thin
  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