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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 · coach · land · saw · stock · bear · mug · trunk

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. stock — goods
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bank — for money
  7. stock — shares
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. land — a country
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bank — of a river
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bear — the animal
  15. land — to come down
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. land — ground
  19. bear — the animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — a cup
  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