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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
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: staff · file · board · coach · straw · root · scale · wax

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. staff — employees
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. root — of a plant
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. scale — size or range
  8. file — a document
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. root — of a word
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. scale — in music
  14. staff — employees
  15. file — a tool
  16. staff — a stick
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. board — a committee
  20. root — the cause
  21. wax — to grow
  22. file — a line of people
  23. board — to get on
  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