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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: fall · wax · cold · coach · rest · bay · can · lean

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. fall — the season
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. fall — to drop
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. fall — to drop
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. wax — to grow
  15. can — to be able to
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. lean — thin
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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