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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: wave · mine · coach · rest · row · jam · object · march

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. object — a thing
  3. rest — a break
  4. march — the month
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. march — music
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. object — to protest
  15. march — the month
  16. row — to paddle
  17. object — an aim
  18. row — a line
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. rest — what's left
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. rest — what's left

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