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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: rock · rush · chest · ball · coach · band · bore · pit

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rock — a stone
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pit — in a race
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. chest — of your body
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rock — music
  12. chest — a box
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rush — hurry
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. band — a music group
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bore — to drill
  24. rock — to move gently

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