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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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468
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: stand · wake · mouse · cap · game · cell · lean · coach

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. game — a match
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lean — thin
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wake — a trail
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cell — a phone
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. lean — to rest against

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