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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. toast — bread
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. land — a country
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. fall — to drop
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. saw — the tool

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