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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: club · sharp · wax · wake · wound · mate · drill · coach

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — a group
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wax — to grow
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wake — a trail
  15. club — for golf
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wound — an injury
  18. drill — a practice
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mate — to breed
  24. coach — a trainer

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