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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: coach · ball · mine · vault · patient · season · band · suit

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. vault — a safe
  4. band — a ring
  5. season — in sport
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. season — of the year
  11. ball — a dance
  12. suit — in cards
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mine — for digging
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — to fit
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. coach — a trainer

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