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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: sharp · calf · coach · bank · field · cabinet · bat · ground

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. field — farmland
  4. bank — for money
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bat — the animal
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. field — for sport
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. ground — the earth
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. field — a subject

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