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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: fall · content · plane · stem · wave · kick · deal · coach

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. kick — in football
  5. fall — the season
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. fall — to drop
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — a tool
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. content — the amount
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. stem — to come from
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. deal — to handle

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