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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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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: wake · coach · hand · firm · bowl · pop · band · wound

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. firm — a company
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. firm — decided
  5. hand — help
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. firm — steady
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. band — a music group
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pop — to visit
  24. coach — a trainer

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