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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bank — for money
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bound — obliged
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bank — for money
  11. rock — music
  12. bound — certain
  13. rock — a stone
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bank — of a river
  17. wax — to grow
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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