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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: fork · degree · coach · staff · wax · arm · shower · present

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wax — to grow
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — there
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. shower — rain
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. present — a gift
  14. shower — to wash
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. fork — in a road
  17. degree — from a university
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. staff — employees

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