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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: can · cap · band · racket · drill · wound · wake · coach

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. cap — a hat
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. can — a tin
  7. wound — an injury
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cap — of ice
  10. drill — a practice
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. can — a tin
  14. wound — an injury
  15. drill — the tool
  16. can — to be able to
  17. cap — a lid
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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