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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 120 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: bank · last · coach · track · bat · land · rock · cue

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bat — the animal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. rock — a stone
  11. last — final
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. land — a country
  17. bank — for money
  18. last — to go on
  19. track — a path
  20. cue — a signal
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. last — finally
  23. rock — music
  24. bat — for baseball

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