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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bark — to shout
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bank — for money
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cap — of ice
  11. swing — music
  12. pass — a permit
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bank — for money
  15. spring — of water
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. spring — the season
  19. swing — to play on
  20. cap — a hat
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. cap — a lid

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