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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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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: lash · ground · wake · cabinet · coach · rash · stand · roll

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ground — a position
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. rash — a series
  15. stand — to bear
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. roll — a list
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. roll — a cake
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. lash — an eyelash

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