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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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468
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 · land · cell · bowl · pop · racket · wax · coach

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. land — to come down
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pop — soda
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bank — for money
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cell — a phone
  12. land — ground
  13. pop — music
  14. cell — in biology
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. land — a country
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bank — for money
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bank — of a river
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wax — to grow

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