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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. march — the month
  5. rest — what's left
  6. last — finally
  7. march — music
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bank — of a river
  13. last — final
  14. rest — what's left
  15. march — the month
  16. hand — in cards
  17. last — to go on
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. band — a music group
  20. bank — for money
  21. rest — a break
  22. bank — for money
  23. hand — help
  24. leaves — of a tree

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