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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 116 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: tube · court · coach · pop · wax · chip · straw · bark

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pop — soda
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. court — of a king
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bark — to shout
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. court — for sport
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. court — of law
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pop — music
  20. tube — a container
  21. pop — to visit
  22. chip — to eat
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. tube — the underground

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