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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: rest · roll · bat · bank · capital · pass · hide · coach

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bank — for money
  3. rest — what's left
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. bat — the animal
  7. roll — a list
  8. bank — of a river
  9. rest — what's left
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. capital — a city
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — a permit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. capital — money
  21. roll — a cake
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. rest — a break
  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