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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: mine · rush · coach · band · squash · pound · track · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. spring — of water
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. track — a song
  9. squash — to crush
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rush — hurry
  16. track — a path
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. squash — the sport

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