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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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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 · coach · fall · wax · stand · net · pop · band

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wax — to grow
  6. band — a music group
  7. pop — to visit
  8. stand — to bear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — in sport
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. fall — to drop
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. club — a group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. club — for golf

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