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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: march · chest · rush · bank · net · coach · rock · lie

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rock — music
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bank — of a river
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. march — music
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rush — hurry
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. march — the month
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bank — for money
  21. march — the month
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bank — for money
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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