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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: field · coach · bass · board · rule · band · scale · fine

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. scale — size or range
  5. field — farmland
  6. band — a ring
  7. fine — all right
  8. board — a committee
  9. bass — the fish
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. scale — in music
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — a law
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bass — low music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. board — to get on
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. rule — government
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. band — a music group

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