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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 120 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: spell · rock · leaves · tube · object · band · coach · clip

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. object — a thing
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. spell — letters
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. spell — magic
  8. rock — music
  9. clip — to cut
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. clip — a video
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. spell — a short time
  16. object — to protest
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. object — an aim
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. rock — a stone
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. clip — for paper

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