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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · fall · coach · stem · wound · mug · mouse · saw

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — to rob
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. fall — to drop
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wound — an injury
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. saw — the tool

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