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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: leaves · coach · mine · row · last · calf · fall · nail

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mine — for digging
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. fall — to drop
  8. last — final
  9. last — to go on
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fall — to drop
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. last — finally
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. row — a line
  24. fall — the season

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