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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: coach · mouse · toast · wax · race · nail · band · file

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. race — the arms race
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. file — a line of people
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. band — a music group
  9. race — a contest
  10. file — a tool
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. band — a ring
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. file — a document
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. race — humankind
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. toast — bread

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