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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: bound · ball · coach · row · season · ground · band · fall

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. ball — a dance
  3. season — in sport
  4. band — a ring
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bound — obliged
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ground — the earth
  10. row — a line
  11. bound — certain
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fall — the season
  16. row — to paddle
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. fall — to drop
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. ball — a great time
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. band — a music group

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