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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: wake · field · coach · cue · saw · stock · fall · charge

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fall — the season
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. charge — a price
  6. stock — goods
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fall — to drop
  10. charge — electricity
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — a signal
  16. charge — in control
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cue — for pool
  20. field — farmland
  21. stock — shares
  22. wake — a trail
  23. fall — to drop
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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