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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bank — for money
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bank — of a river
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. perch — the fish
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bank — for money
  14. plane — a tool
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. kick — in football
  19. pitch — completely
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. band — a music group
  22. mug — a face
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pitch — a sports field

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