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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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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 · toast · bat · band · staff · snap · tear · bound

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bound — certain
  3. band — a ring
  4. staff — a stick
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. snap — to click
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bound — obliged
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. tear — to rip
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bat — the animal
  18. band — a music group
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. toast — bread
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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