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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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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: mug · coach · stem · fork · mate · bank · cold · stand

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. mug — to rob
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. mug — a cup
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mate — a friend
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bank — for money
  14. stem — to come from
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mate — to breed
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bank — of a river
  24. mug — a face

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