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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · key · nail · swing · wax · cold · prune · coach

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. swing — to play on
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. key — the most important part
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — not warm
  11. prune — to trim
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wax — to grow
  15. swing — music
  16. cold — an illness
  17. prune — to trim
  18. swing — in golf
  19. key — in music
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. leaves — lets stay

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