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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: cell · scale · stock · rush · coach · toast · wax · rash

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. scale — in music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rash — hasty
  12. toast — bread
  13. cell — in biology
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — to grow
  17. stock — shares
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. stock — goods
  22. scale — size or range
  23. rash — a series
  24. rush — to hurry

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