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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: wake · fan · board · snap · wax · coach · land · squash

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. board — to get on
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. squash — to crush
  6. land — to come down
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. snap — to click
  10. wax — to grow
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wake — a trail
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. land — a country
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. squash — the sport
  22. land — ground
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. squash — the vegetable

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