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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.

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: fall · kid · coach · wax · mine · face · pitcher · swing

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wax — to grow
  3. swing — to play on
  4. fall — the season
  5. face — to confront
  6. kid — to tease
  7. swing — music
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. swing — in golf
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. face — part of the head
  13. mine — for digging
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. kid — child
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wax — for sculpting

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