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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: club · cap · coach · press · band · rush · wax · staff

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for golf
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. band — a music group
  9. press — a publisher
  10. cap — of ice
  11. staff — employees
  12. band — a ring
  13. cap — a hat
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. club — for dancing
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. rush — hurry
  19. wax — to grow
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. cap — a lid
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. press — to push
  24. press — newspapers

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