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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 124 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: wax · coach · row · mate · bass · straw · arm · track

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. track — a song
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bass — the fish
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bass — low music
  9. wax — to grow
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mate — a friend
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. row — a line
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. mate — to breed
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. track — to keep track
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. track — a path
  24. bass — the instrument

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