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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 120 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: club · band · object · drill · coach · degree · row · pop

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. row — to paddle
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pop — music
  6. drill — a practice
  7. band — a music group
  8. degree — temperature
  9. band — a ring
  10. pop — soda
  11. degree — an amount
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. object — to protest
  14. degree — from a university
  15. object — an aim
  16. club — for golf
  17. object — a thing
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. drill — the tool
  20. row — a line
  21. drill — army training
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pop — to visit
  24. band — a rubber band

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