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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fall · net · mine · coach · cold · can · arm · stand

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. can — to be able to
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cold — an illness
  9. can — a tin
  10. stand — to bear
  11. fall — to drop
  12. net — for catching
  13. cold — not warm
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. can — a tin
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. arm — part of the body
  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