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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: current · straw · coach · hand · arm · spring · bank · land

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bank — for money
  3. hand — help
  4. land — a country
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bank — for money
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. current — happening now
  20. hand — in cards
  21. land — ground
  22. spring — of water
  23. land — to come down
  24. arm — a part of something

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