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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: toast · stand · hand · face · fall · wake · cold · net

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. toast — bread
  6. fall — to drop
  7. face — to confront
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. net — after costs
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fall — the season
  18. net — for catching
  19. fall — to drop
  20. net — in sport
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stand — to bear
  23. face — to point toward
  24. cold — not warm

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