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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.

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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: fall · clip · tube · wax · net · rock · coach · current

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. net — for catching
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rock — music
  6. net — in sport
  7. current — happening now
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. current — of water
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. current — electric
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fall — the season
  17. clip — for paper
  18. fall — to drop
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wax — to grow
  21. clip — a video
  22. tube — the underground
  23. net — after costs
  24. tube — a container

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