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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: fine · land · dip · chair · coach · wax · swing · saw

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. saw — the tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. land — a country
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. land — to come down
  12. swing — to play on
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. swing — music
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. swing — in golf
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. fine — all right
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. saw — the tool

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