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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · band · tube · coach · rest · last · kick · fine

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. fine — all right
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. tube — a container
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rest — what's left
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. fine — high quality
  18. last — final
  19. kick — in football
  20. last — to go on
  21. rest — what's left
  22. last — finally
  23. rest — a break
  24. tube — the underground

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