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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 · stock · bay · bore · bat · band · hide · shower

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. stock — goods
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bore — to drill
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bat — the animal
  12. band — a music group
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — to wash
  18. band — a ring
  19. stock — shares
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. shower — rain

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