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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bass — the fish
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. fall — to drop
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. band — a ring
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. band — a music group
  16. stand — to bear
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fall — the season

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