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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 · file · drill · coach · lash · fall · club · temple

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. fall — the season
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. drill — the tool
  12. wake — a trail
  13. file — a tool
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. file — a document
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. drill — army training
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. file — a line of people
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. club — a group
  22. drill — a practice
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. coach — a trainer

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