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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: land · drill · coach · key · chair · fan · rock · wax

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. key — the most important part
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. rock — music
  7. wax — to grow
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. land — to come down
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. key — for a lock
  15. drill — the tool
  16. rock — a stone
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. land — a country
  20. land — ground
  21. drill — army training
  22. key — in music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. coach — a trainer

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