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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.

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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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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: coach · plane · mug · straw · firm · wax · bat · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mug — to rob
  5. plane — a tool
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wax — to grow
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. firm — steady
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. firm — decided
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bat — the animal
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mug — a face
  22. firm — a company
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bass — the fish

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