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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 · tear · chair · hand · wax · wave · bank · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bank — of a river
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. hand — help
  13. bank — for money
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bank — for money
  24. chair — to sit on

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