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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.

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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: stand · face · saw · shower · coach · last · ground · present

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. face — to point toward
  4. present — the time now
  5. stand — to bear
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ground — a position
  8. shower — to wash
  9. present — there
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. ground — crushed
  13. present — a gift
  14. ground — the earth
  15. shower — rain
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. face — part of the head
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. face — to confront
  21. saw — the tool
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. last — to go on
  24. stand — on your feet

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