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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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: coach · arm · wound · bowl · bank · mine · land · field

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. field — a subject
  4. land — a country
  5. mine — for digging
  6. field — farmland
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bank — for money
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. field — for sport
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. land — to come down
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. land — ground

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