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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 116 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: cabinet · cold · mine · bank · stand · coach · pitcher · bowl

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stand — to bear
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bank — for money
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mine — for digging
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bank — for money
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bowl — a football final
  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