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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: deal · coach · stem · cold · mate · wave · fall · wake

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cold — not warm
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. cold — an illness
  20. fall — the season
  21. mate — a friend
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stem — to come from

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