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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: chair · stand · can · row · firm · coach · wake · shower

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. firm — a company
  3. can — to be able to
  4. row — to paddle
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. firm — decided
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. can — a tin
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. can — a tin
  14. wake — a trail
  15. stand — to bear
  16. row — a line
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. firm — steady
  20. chair — a leader
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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