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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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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: last · mark · land · swing · wax · pit · club · coach

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. last — final
  3. wax — to grow
  4. swing — in golf
  5. club — for dancing
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. land — a country
  9. club — for golf
  10. mark — a grade
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. land — to come down
  13. pit — a hole
  14. last — to go on
  15. club — a group
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mark — a trace
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. swing — to play on
  21. land — ground
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. swing — music
  24. last — finally

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