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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: land · wave · coach · content · craft · fall · leaves · stem

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. content — the amount
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stem — to come from
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. land — to come down
  20. fall — the season
  21. craft — boats
  22. content — happy
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wave — with your hand

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