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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: hand · coach · bank · racket · spell · tear · saw · season

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bank — for money
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. spell — a short time
  8. tear — from crying
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bank — of a river
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. spell — letters
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bank — for money
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. saw — the tool
  19. spell — magic
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. tear — from crying
  23. saw — the tool
  24. racket — for tennis

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