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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 116 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: scale · fall · bank · wake · coach · leaves · rash · rock

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rock — a stone
  3. fall — to drop
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. rash — a series
  10. bank — for money
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fall — the season
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. rash — hasty
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bank — of a river
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bank — for money
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. leaves — to go away

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