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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: mark · rush · net · capital · band · chip · bank · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. net — for catching
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. band — a music group
  7. bank — of a river
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bank — for money
  10. capital — a city
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. band — a ring
  13. bank — for money
  14. net — in sport
  15. capital — money
  16. rush — hurry
  17. net — after costs
  18. chip — to eat
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mark — a grade
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. chip — for betting
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. mark — a trace

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