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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.

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: chest · coach · field · degree · suit · nail · wake · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. chest — a box
  4. suit — to fit
  5. field — for sport
  6. chest — of your body
  7. field — farmland
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. suit — clothes
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. degree — an amount
  15. chest — of your body
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. field — a subject
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cell — a phone
  21. suit — in cards
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wake — a trail

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