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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: ball · coach · date · trunk · key · bank · cold · chest

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bank — for money
  4. ball — a dance
  5. cold — not warm
  6. key — in music
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cold — an illness
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. chest — of your body
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — the fruit
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bank — for money
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. key — for a lock
  20. chest — a box
  21. key — the most important part
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. ball — a great time
  24. coach — a trainer

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