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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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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: charge · degree · band · row · lie · coach · racket · wind

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. charge — in control
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. band — a music group
  9. wind — moving air
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. degree — temperature
  14. charge — a price
  15. lie — to recline
  16. band — a ring
  17. degree — from a university
  18. row — a line
  19. degree — an amount
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. charge — electricity
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. wind — moving air
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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