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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · toast · last · saw · coach · snap · dip · bore

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. toast — bread
  3. saw — the tool
  4. last — to go on
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. band — a music group
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. band — a ring
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. last — final
  13. snap — to click
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bore — to drill
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. last — finally
  23. bore — to tire
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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