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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: rock · squash · coach · cell · lie · firm · toast · wave

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. firm — decided
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rock — music
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rock — a stone
  15. squash — to crush
  16. cell — a phone
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. firm — a company
  20. toast — bread
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. firm — steady
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wave — of the sea

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