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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 · rush · kick · bowl · coach · bank · land · snap

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. land — ground
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. land — to come down
  14. rush — hurry
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. snap — to click
  20. land — a country
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bank — for money

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