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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: content · mark · cold · lie · bay · tube · bank · coach

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bank — for money
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. lie — to recline
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. content — the amount
  12. cold — an illness
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. content — happy
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bank — for money
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bank — of a river
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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