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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 120 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 · rash · band · mark · last · bat · current · bank

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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. band — a music group
  4. bank — of a river
  5. rash — hasty
  6. band — a ring
  7. current — electric
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. last — finally
  11. bank — for money
  12. mark — a trace
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. last — final
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. current — happening now
  18. last — to go on
  19. current — of water
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bank — for money
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bat — the animal
  24. mark — to pay attention

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