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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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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: toast · band · coach · tube · drill · can · last · bowl

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. band — a ring
  3. last — finally
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. can — to be able to
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. drill — a practice
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. last — final
  12. can — a tin
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. last — to go on
  15. tube — the underground
  16. drill — army training
  17. can — a tin
  18. tube — a container
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. drill — the tool
  22. band — a music group
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. toast — bread

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