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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: bat · cue · roll · bank · spring · net · coach · calf

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  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. cue — a hint
  2. net — for catching
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. spring — the season
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bank — for money
  10. net — in sport
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bat — the animal
  16. net — after costs
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bank — of a river
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. cue — a signal
  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