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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: mine · spell · coach · cap · band · drill · toast · rest

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  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. toast — a drink to someone
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. band — a music group
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. spell — magic
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mine — for digging
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cap — a hat
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. spell — a short time
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spell — letters
  20. band — a ring
  21. cap — of ice
  22. toast — bread
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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