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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: wake · jam · fall · bore · leaves · sharp · coach · net

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. sharp — clever
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fall — to drop
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. wake — a trail
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. net — in sport
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. net — for catching
  17. fall — the season
  18. bore — to drill
  19. net — after costs
  20. bore — to tire
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fall — to drop

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