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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: lean · coach · wake · arm · vault · fall · kid · saw

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. kid — child
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. saw — the tool
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wake — a trail
  13. fall — the season
  14. lean — thin
  15. saw — the tool
  16. vault — a safe
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. lean — to bend
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. kid — to tease
  24. coach — a trainer

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