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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rule · wax · clip · rest · spell · bass · coach · deal

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rest — a break
  6. bass — the fish
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rest — what's left
  9. clip — a video
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bass — low music
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. clip — to cut
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — a law
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rule — government
  24. rest — what's left

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