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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 · cold · scale · saw · hand · suit · coach · craft

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bank — for money
  3. suit — in cards
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bank — of a river
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — clothes
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. craft — a skill
  13. hand — in cards
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. saw — the tool
  18. craft — boats
  19. hand — help
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. bank — for money
  23. scale — size or range
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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