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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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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: wax · row · mate · rest · coach · cell · mouse · fall

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rest — a break
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wax — to grow
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. row — a line
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cell — a phone
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cell — in biology
  24. rest — what's left

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