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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 120 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.

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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: rest · row · hand · wax · coach · cabinet · object · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  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. cold — an illness
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. object — an aim
  4. rest — a break
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. object — a thing
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. object — to protest
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. hand — help
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hand — in cards
  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