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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: rash · band · cold · coach · can · club · track · deal

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. cold — an illness
  3. track — a song
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — a group
  9. cold — not warm
  10. track — to keep track
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. band — a ring
  16. club — for golf
  17. can — a tin
  18. band — a music group
  19. rash — a series
  20. deal — to handle
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. track — a path
  23. can — a tin
  24. rash — hasty

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