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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 · track · fan · coach · cap · pop · lean · drill

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. drill — army training
  4. track — to keep track
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. lean — thin
  9. pop — soda
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pop — music
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cap — of ice
  16. track — a path
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pop — to visit
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. track — a song

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