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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 120 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: march · season · club · rock · band · tube · prune · coach

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. march — music
  3. tube — the underground
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. club — a group
  8. march — the month
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. tube — a container
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. march — the month
  14. season — in sport
  15. rock — music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rock — a stone
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. prune — to trim
  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