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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: coach · file · stem · face · wax · board · drill · pitcher

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. file — a document
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. face — to confront
  6. drill — the tool
  7. file — a tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. board — a committee
  12. wax — to grow
  13. drill — army training
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. board — to get on
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. face — to point toward
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. face — part of the head

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