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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: hand · coach · squash · cabinet · roll · bank

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bank — for money
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bank — for money
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. roll — a list
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help

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