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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 · staff · band · cold · fall · perch · face · coach

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. face — to confront
  4. staff — a stick
  5. face — part of the head
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. band — a ring
  9. cold — not warm
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. band — a music group
  13. perch — the fish
  14. staff — employees
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. staff — employees
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fall — the season
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. face — to point toward
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. fall — to drop

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