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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: pound · craft · band · ball · mine · game · coach · face

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. craft — boats
  4. face — part of the head
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ball — a dance
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. face — to point toward
  9. game — wild animals
  10. band — a ring
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pound — a weight
  13. face — to confront
  14. band — a music group
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. craft — a skill
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. game — a match
  19. ball — a great time
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. band — a rubber band

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