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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: face · fall · leaves · club · straw · coach · rest · band

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fall — to drop
  4. club — for dancing
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to confront
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for golf
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. band — a ring
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rest — what's left
  20. face — to point toward
  21. band — a music group
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. rest — a break
  24. leaves — lets stay

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