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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: craft · cell · snap · land · can · last · fall · coach

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cell — a phone
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. last — finally
  5. land — ground
  6. craft — boats
  7. cell — in biology
  8. last — to go on
  9. fall — the season
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. land — to come down
  13. can — to be able to
  14. land — a country
  15. can — a tin
  16. fall — to drop
  17. last — final
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. fall — to drop
  23. craft — a skill
  24. snap — to click

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