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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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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: mark · cell · bank · coach · wax · race · sharp · rest

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bank — for money
  7. cell — a phone
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. race — the arms race
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mark — a grade
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. race — a contest
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. sharp — clever
  19. wax — to grow
  20. race — humankind
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. mark — a trace
  24. cell — in a prison

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