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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: rule · trunk · cap · wax · field · current · coach · saw

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rule — government
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. field — farmland
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. field — for sport
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cap — a lid
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cap — of ice
  12. current — happening now
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. current — electric
  15. wax — to grow
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. current — of water
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. rule — a law
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. field — a subject

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