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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.

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: fine · coach · straw · capital · wax · hand · game · mug

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. capital — money
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. game — wild animals
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fine — all right
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mug — a face
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. hand — in cards
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. game — a match
  19. capital — a city
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mug — to rob
  22. fine — high quality
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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