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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: bank · stand · game · bass · coach · fork · rash · mine

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stand — to bear
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bank — of a river
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. rash — a series
  9. bank — for money
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mine — for digging
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. game — a match
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. bank — for money
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fork — to eat with

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