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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.

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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: wake · ruler · straw · coach · club · bound · band · lie

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lie — to recline
  9. club — for golf
  10. band — a ring
  11. bound — obliged
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bound — tied together
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wake — a trail
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bound — certain
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. club — a 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