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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 116 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: straw · rash · saw · chair · race · coach · tube · wax

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. race — a contest
  4. wax — to grow
  5. race — the arms race
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. race — humankind
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. tube — the underground
  19. chair — a leader
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. straw — a straw man

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