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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
468
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: wind · toast · band · coach · rash · game · club · ground

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wind — moving air
  3. toast — bread
  4. club — for dancing
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. ground — the earth
  7. band — a music group
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ground — crushed
  11. club — a group
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. ground — a position
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. game — wild animals
  23. band — a ring
  24. club — for golf

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