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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: net · pitch · scale · stem · wake · coach · tube · wax

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. tube — a container
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wake — a trail
  5. stem — to come from
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. tube — the underground
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. scale — size or range
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. net — for catching
  22. scale — in music
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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