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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 · charge · field · staff · foot · coach · bowl · bass

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. charge — electricity
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bass — low music
  9. staff — employees
  10. field — a subject
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bass — the fish
  13. foot — a measure
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — for sport
  16. wax — to grow
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. staff — employees
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — a price

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