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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: rock · ground · saw · wax · fork · swing · coach · kid

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. ground — a position
  4. rock — a stone
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wax — to grow
  12. fork — in a road
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rock — music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. swing — music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. ground — crushed
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. swing — in golf

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