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

Word bank: band · fall · coach · cell · wax · stick

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. fall — to drop
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. band — a ring
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fall — to drop
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cell — a phone
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wax — to grow
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. band — a music group
  18. fall — the season

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