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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 · band · scale · wake · bank · mug · roll · wax

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. scale — size or range
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mug — a face
  7. bank — for money
  8. band — a ring
  9. roll — a list
  10. band — a music group
  11. mug — to rob
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bank — for money
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. roll — a cake
  16. wake — a trail
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bank — of a river
  19. scale — in music
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — to grow

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