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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: mouse · fall · wake · rock · game · chest · mate · stand

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wake — a trail
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. chest — a box
  13. fall — the season
  14. rock — music
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rock — a stone
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. game — a match
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stand — to bear
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fall — to drop
  24. chest — of your body

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