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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: leaves · wake · squash · sharp · club · face · cell · fall

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  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. face — part of the head
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. face — to confront
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. club — a group
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wake — a trail
  13. fall — to drop
  14. squash — the sport
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. club — for golf
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. face — to point toward
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. club — for dancing
  23. fall — to drop
  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