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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: coach · band · bound · temple · tear · club · cap · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bound — certain
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. band — a ring
  6. tear — from crying
  7. club — for golf
  8. cap — a lid
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bound — tied together
  11. club — a group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tear — from crying
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. club — for dancing
  17. game — a match
  18. tear — to rip
  19. cap — of ice
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bound — obliged
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. band — a music group
  24. cap — a hat

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