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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.

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: racket · bore · rush · band · fork · can · coach · face

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. band — a ring
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. can — a tin
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fork — in a road
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bore — to tire
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. face — part of the head
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bore — to drill
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. face — to confront
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. face — to point toward
  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