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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: coach · straw · current · rule · wake · fall

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. fall — to drop
  4. current — electric
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. rule — a law
  8. fall — the season
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. fall — to drop
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wake — a trail
  14. current — of water
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rule — government
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. current — happening now

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