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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: coach · pass · dip · wound · field · root · drill · wax

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. field — for sport
  7. drill — the tool
  8. root — the cause
  9. drill — a practice
  10. root — of a plant
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. root — of a word
  20. field — a subject
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. drill — army training
  23. dip — to sink
  24. field — farmland

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