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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: coach · rule · wax · cold · suit · jam · pound · ground

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rule — government
  8. ground — crushed
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cold — not warm
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. suit — to fit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. suit — clothes
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. suit — in cards
  22. ground — a position
  23. cold — an illness
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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