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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: pitcher · bowl · coach · date · arm · rush · bank · season

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. season — of the year
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bank — for money
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. rush — hurry
  12. season — in sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bank — of a river
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bank — for money
  24. season — to add flavour

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