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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 116 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: band · mug · coach · land · fine · branch · ball · deal

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. fine — all right
  3. mug — to rob
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. band — a music group
  6. mug — a face
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. deal — to handle
  10. ball — a great time
  11. land — a country
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. land — to come down
  14. fine — high quality
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. branch — a division
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. ball — a dance
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. land — ground
  23. mug — a cup
  24. branch — of a bank

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