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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: ground · press · tear · coach · game · bank · foot · saw

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ground — a position
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. saw — the tool
  6. press — newspapers
  7. ground — crushed
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bank — of a river
  10. game — wild animals
  11. saw — the tool
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. tear — from crying
  16. ground — the earth
  17. game — a match
  18. press — to push
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bank — for money
  21. press — a publisher
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — a measure

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