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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: club · bore · vault · ruler · band · coach · can · march

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. club — for golf
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. band — a ring
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. band — a music group
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. club — for dancing
  10. march — the month
  11. bore — to tire
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bore — to drill
  19. can — a tin
  20. vault — a safe
  21. can — a tin
  22. club — a group
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. can — to be able to

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