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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: hide · fall · leaves · stick · vault · cell · cabinet · coach

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fall — the season
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. vault — a safe
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cell — a phone

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