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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 120 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: mouse · stand · wake · fine · fall · coach · cell · chest

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wake — a trail
  6. fall — to drop
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chest — a box
  9. fine — high quality
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fall — the season
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. stand — to bear
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. fine — all right
  22. fall — to drop
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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