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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: jam · stem · rush · squash · coach · swing · chair · wax

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rush — hurry
  5. swing — to play on
  6. stem — to come from
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — a leader
  10. swing — music
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. wax — to grow
  24. stem — of a plant

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