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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: mate · rest · squash · stem · charge · coach · wind · wax

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rest — a break
  3. charge — a price
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mate — a friend
  9. charge — in control
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. squash — the sport
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. mate — a partner
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. charge — electricity
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mate — to breed
  24. squash — to crush

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