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

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pass — a permit
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. stock — goods
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stock — shares
  9. chair — a leader
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bass — the fish
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bass — low music
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wax — to grow
  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