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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: drill · coach · band · content · stand · bass · prune · squash

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. drill — army training
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. squash — the sport
  5. drill — a practice
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. drill — the tool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bass — low music
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bass — the fish
  23. stand — to bear
  24. content — the amount

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