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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: band · date · trunk · rule · bore · cue · ball · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  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. rule — a law
  3. bore — to tire
  4. ball — a dance
  5. rule — government
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. ball — a great time
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. band — a ring
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bore — to drill
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cue — a hint
  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