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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 · straw · dip · wax · saw · plane · stem · band

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. dip — to sink
  3. band — a music group
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. plane — a tool
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wax — to grow
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. stem — to come from
  15. saw — the tool
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a ring
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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