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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: fork · mark · coach · tube · wax · dip · date · band

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. band — a ring
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. mark — a trace
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. tube — a container
  8. dip — to sink
  9. date — the fruit
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fork — in a road
  14. mark — a grade
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. tube — the underground
  17. wax — to grow
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. date — on the calendar

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