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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: coach · cell · pitch · wax · roll · deal · band · kick

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. roll — a list
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. kick — in football
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pitch — completely
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. band — a music group
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. roll — a cake
  21. band — a ring
  22. deal — to handle
  23. kick — a thrill
  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