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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.

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: bank · staff · march · coach · land · chair · wave · bowl

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bank — for money
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. staff — employees
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. staff — a stick
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bank — for money
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. land — ground
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. land — a country
  21. march — the month
  22. staff — employees
  23. bank — of a river
  24. chair — to sit on

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