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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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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: kid · vault · band · capital · coach · wave · press · court

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. band — a music group
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — to push
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. vault — a safe
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. capital — money
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. kid — child
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. court — of law
  17. kid — to tease
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. press — a publisher
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. band — a ring

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