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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. land — a country
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. land — to come down
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. stem — to come from
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bound — tied together
  20. land — ground
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. wind — moving air

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