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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 116 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: stand · coach · can · shower · sharp · spring · band · row

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. shower — rain
  3. sharp — clever
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. can — a tin
  8. row — a line
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. row — to paddle
  11. spring — of water
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. band — a music group
  19. shower — to wash
  20. spring — the season
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. spring — a coil
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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