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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: wax · saw · coach · chair · rush · fine · field · arm

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wax — to grow
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a leader
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fine — high quality
  14. saw — the tool
  15. field — a subject
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fine — all right
  18. field — for sport
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rush — hurry
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. field — farmland

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