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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pop — to visit
  4. rock — music
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wax — to grow
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. season — of the year
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pop — music
  16. chair — a leader
  17. swing — in golf
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — music
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. season — in sport
  24. pop — soda

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