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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: can · race · last · chair · band · wax · coach · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. can — to be able to
  4. wax — to grow
  5. last — final
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chair — a leader
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. band — a ring
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mug — to rob
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. can — a tin
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mug — a cup
  19. band — a music group
  20. race — a contest
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. can — a tin
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — humankind

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