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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: last · coach · pop · stem · wax · kid · rock · suit

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. suit — to fit
  3. last — final
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pop — to visit
  6. kid — child
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. kid — to tease
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. last — to go on
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. pop — soda
  16. last — finally
  17. rock — music
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. suit — clothes
  21. wax — to grow
  22. suit — in cards
  23. pop — music
  24. wax — for sculpting

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