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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: date · craft · pit · straw · lean · cell · bank · coach

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bank — of a river
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bank — for money
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. lean — thin
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cell — in biology
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pit — in a race
  19. date — the fruit
  20. bank — for money
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. pit — a hole
  24. lean — to rest against

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