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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 116 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: coach · bowl · plane · bank · tube · field · game · march

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. march — music
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. field — for sport
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. plane — a tool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. field — a subject
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bank — for money
  22. field — farmland
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bank — for money

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