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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: stick · cabinet · wake · stand · toast · coach · current · snap

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. current — electric
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. stand — to bear
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. current — of water
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. snap — to click
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. coach — a trainer

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