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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: bank · coach · wound · ball · saw · pitcher · calf · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wound — an injury
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bank — of a river
  7. ball — a dance
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bank — for money
  12. saw — the tool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. row — a line
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bank — for money
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wound — an injury

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