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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: net · mine · bank · fine · coach · band · ground · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bank — for money
  6. ground — the earth
  7. net — in sport
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. toast — bread
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. band — a ring
  12. net — after costs
  13. fine — all right
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. net — for catching
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. ground — crushed
  18. band — a music group
  19. ground — a position
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bank — for money
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bank — of a river
  24. coach — a trainer

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