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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: tube · cap · coach · mate · march · land · wave · hand

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. land — to come down
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. mate — a friend
  10. tube — the underground
  11. mate — to breed
  12. land — a country
  13. cap — of ice
  14. march — music
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. land — ground
  17. march — the month
  18. mate — a partner
  19. tube — a container
  20. cap — a hat
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. cap — a lid
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. march — the month

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