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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: land · band · mouse · saw · tube · rush · coach · tear

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. tear — from crying
  3. band — a music group
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. land — ground
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. saw — the tool
  13. tube — a container
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tube — the underground
  19. land — to come down
  20. tear — from crying
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. land — a country
  24. rush — to hurry

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