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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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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: chair · march · cell · lash · coach · wax · band · ruler

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. march — the month
  3. band — a music group
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. march — music
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cell — in biology
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. band — a ring
  18. wax — to grow
  19. cell — a phone
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. march — the month
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. band — a rubber band

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