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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: arm · toast · coach · wax · bass · row · date · season

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. row — a line
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wax — to grow
  11. toast — bread
  12. row — to paddle
  13. date — the fruit
  14. season — in sport
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. season — of the year
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — the fish
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. arm — a part of something
  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