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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: club · present · degree · firm · coach · last · arm · wax

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. present — there
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. club — for golf
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. present — a gift
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. last — finally
  10. club — for dancing
  11. wax — to grow
  12. last — to go on
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. degree — temperature
  17. firm — a company
  18. degree — an amount
  19. firm — decided
  20. present — the time now
  21. club — a group
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. firm — steady
  24. degree — from a university

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