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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: coach · can · squash · mine · calf · band · degree · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. squash — to crush
  7. degree — an amount
  8. can — a tin
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. squash — the sport
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. game — a match
  13. degree — temperature
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. band — a music group
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. can — to be able to
  18. degree — from a university
  19. band — a ring
  20. mine — for digging
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. can — a tin
  24. coach — a trainer

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