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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 · cabinet · coach · squash · scale · rash · plane · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rash — a series
  6. bank — for money
  7. scale — in music
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. squash — to crush
  11. scale — size or range
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bank — for money
  20. plane — a tool
  21. squash — the sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bank — of a river

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