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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: pitcher · wind · wake · coach · bound · nail · cue · band

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. band — a ring
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bound — certain
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wind — moving air
  13. band — a music group
  14. cue — a signal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bound — tied together
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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