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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: wax · shower · chair · row · coach · cold · ball · suit

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. row — a line
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. chair — a leader
  13. shower — rain
  14. wax — to grow
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cold — not warm
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — clothes
  21. cold — an illness
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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