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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · coach · ruler · squash · leaves · hand · bass · fall

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wake — a trail
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bass — low music
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. fall — the season
  14. hand — in cards
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. squash — to crush
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fall — to drop
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. wake — before a funeral

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