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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: object · pitcher · saw · coach · land · face · wax · rash

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. land — ground
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wax — to grow
  13. object — a thing
  14. land — a country
  15. rash — a series
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. land — to come down
  20. face — to confront
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — to protest
  24. coach — a trainer

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