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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: mate · coach · rule · object · track · board · wax · tear

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mate — a partner
  3. track — a path
  4. wax — to grow
  5. track — to keep track
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rule — government
  8. object — an aim
  9. rule — a law
  10. object — a thing
  11. board — a committee
  12. track — a song
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mate — a friend
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. tear — from crying
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. board — to get on
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mate — to breed

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