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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
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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: wax · squash · march · band · cue · dip · lie · coach

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. band — a music group
  6. march — music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cue — for pool
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cue — a hint
  12. squash — the sport
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. band — a ring
  15. squash — to crush
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. march — the month
  18. lie — to recline
  19. march — the month
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. cue — a signal
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. dip — to sink

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