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

Word bank: wake · land · chest · fall · coach · firm · nail · net

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. net — in sport
  3. firm — decided
  4. land — to come down
  5. fall — to drop
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. net — for catching
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. chest — of your body
  10. land — a country
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. firm — steady
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chest — a box
  17. firm — a company
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. net — after costs
  20. land — ground
  21. wake — a trail
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fall — to drop
  24. nail — for a hammer

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