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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: land · nail · band · coach · dip · hand · bass · object

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bass — low music
  7. land — a country
  8. object — to protest
  9. bass — the fish
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. object — a thing
  12. dip — to sink
  13. band — a music group
  14. hand — in cards
  15. land — ground
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. hand — help
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. land — to come down
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. object — an aim
  24. band — a ring

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