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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: fall · mark · present · craft · coach · band · mug · cold

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mug — a face
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mark — a grade
  11. craft — a skill
  12. mark — a trace
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — there
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mug — to rob
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. fall — the season
  22. cold — an illness
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. craft — boats

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