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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 · leaves · sharp · pop · coach · fine · season · bore

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. season — in sport
  4. pop — soda
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. fine — all right
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bore — to drill
  15. wax — to grow
  16. season — of the year
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. fine — high quality

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