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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 · staff · jam · land · wake · coach · hand · pit

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. wake — a trail
  7. land — ground
  8. land — to come down
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. staff — a stick
  11. hand — help
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. staff — employees
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pit — in a race
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. land — a country
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wax — in the ear

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