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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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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 · kid · kick · track · patient · bank · trunk

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. kid — child
  5. kick — in football
  6. track — a path
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. kid — to tease
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bank — for money
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. track — a song
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. track — to keep track
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bank — of a river
  24. arm — a part of something

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