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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: band · stock · coach · drill · mouse · row · suit · press

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. row — a line
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. press — to push
  13. stock — shares
  14. row — to paddle
  15. band — a ring
  16. press — a publisher
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. drill — army training
  20. suit — to fit
  21. stock — goods
  22. suit — clothes
  23. drill — a practice
  24. press — newspapers

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