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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 · scale · rule · hide · wax · pitcher · staff · roll

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rule — government
  9. staff — a stick
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. scale — size or range
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. roll — a cake
  15. wax — to grow
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. roll — a list
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. scale — in music
  20. rule — a law
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. staff — employees

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