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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: mine · board · ground · coach · wax · chest · pitcher · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. chest — a box
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. board — to get on
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. board — a committee
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ground — a position
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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