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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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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 · pound · fall · wax · stem · band · row · firm

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wax — to grow
  3. firm — decided
  4. fall — the season
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. fall — to drop
  8. row — to paddle
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. band — a music group
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. firm — a company
  14. band — a ring
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. row — a line
  20. firm — steady
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. stem — to come from

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