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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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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 · tear · content · cue · fall · leaves · wave · coach

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. cue — a hint
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. tear — from crying
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cue — for pool
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. tear — to rip
  11. fall — the season
  12. content — happy
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. content — the amount
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wake — a trail

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