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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.

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: wound · wax · coach · wave · fine · chest · squash · bay

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. fine — all right
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. squash — the sport
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wax — to grow
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. squash — to crush
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wave — of the sea

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