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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: bore · band · coach · net · sharp · club · rest · leaves

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. net — after costs
  4. band — a ring
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. band — a music group
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. net — in sport
  10. club — for golf
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bore — to drill
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. rest — what's left
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. club — a group
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bore — to tire
  24. band — a rubber band

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