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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 · clip · mine · coach · current · wax · suit · wave

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. tube — a container
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. wax — to grow
  10. suit — to fit
  11. clip — for paper
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. current — electric
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. current — happening now
  17. clip — to cut
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. suit — in cards
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. current — of water
  23. clip — a video
  24. mine — an explosive

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