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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: rock · ground · coach · club · band · fall · stock · craft

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. ground — a position
  3. band — a music group
  4. rock — a stone
  5. club — for dancing
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. craft — boats
  8. ground — the earth
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. stock — shares
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rock — music
  15. ground — crushed
  16. club — a group
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stock — goods
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. craft — a skill
  21. band — a ring
  22. club — for golf
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fall — to drop

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