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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: wave · face · hand · rash · bass · ball · bowl · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rash — a series
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. face — to confront
  14. ball — a great time
  15. rash — hasty
  16. hand — help
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. face — to point toward
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bass — low music

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