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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: bay · pop · wax · stem · hand · swing · coach · mine

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. pop — soda
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pop — music
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pop — to visit
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. swing — to play on
  24. coach — a trainer

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