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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 120 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: swing · coach · charge · racket · shower · wax · band · scale

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — in control
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. band — a music group
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. swing — in golf
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. wax — to grow
  12. scale — in music
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — music
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. shower — to wash
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. shower — rain
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. charge — electricity

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