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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · rash · degree · perch · coach · bear · wound · drill

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. band — a ring
  3. drill — a practice
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bear — the animal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rash — a series
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. degree — from a university
  15. drill — the tool
  16. perch — the fish
  17. drill — army training
  18. rash — hasty
  19. band — a music group
  20. bear — the animal
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rash — on the skin

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