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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 120 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: pitcher · kid · staff · bank · cold · bound · lean · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. bound — tied together
  3. kid — child
  4. lean — thin
  5. bank — for money
  6. cold — not warm
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lean — to bend
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bank — of a river
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. staff — a stick
  19. kid — to tease
  20. staff — employees
  21. bound — obliged
  22. staff — employees
  23. bound — certain
  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