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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: mug · wave · tear · pit · wax · coach · rule · rush

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. pit — a hole
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — in a race
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. mug — to rob
  17. tear — from crying
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mug — a cup
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — government
  22. tear — to rip
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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