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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: straw · march · mate · bank · coach · date · tube · pitcher

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. tube — a container
  3. march — the month
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. tube — the underground
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bank — of a river
  10. date — the fruit
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bank — for money
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bank — for money
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a partner
  21. march — the month
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. march — music
  24. pitcher — a jug

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