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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
468
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 · wave · bark · rush · charge · band · chest · kid

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. charge — a price
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. band — a music group
  9. rush — hurry
  10. kid — child
  11. charge — in control
  12. kid — to tease
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — to shout
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. band — a ring
  19. charge — electricity
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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