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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: row · craft · bass · coach · wax · key · band · fan

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. key — the most important part
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bass — low music
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. row — a line
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. key — in music
  21. craft — boats
  22. key — for a lock
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wax — to grow

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