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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: coach · ground · rock · band · spell · bore · field · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. spell — letters
  3. ground — the earth
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. field — farmland
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. field — a subject
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — a stone
  14. band — a music group
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ground — a position
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. field — for sport
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rock — music
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bore — to drill
  24. spell — magic

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