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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: mark · band · bass · coach · row · snap · chair · bank

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. band — a ring
  8. snap — to click
  9. bass — the fish
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mark — a grade
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bass — low music
  15. bank — of a river
  16. row — to paddle
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. row — a line
  21. band — a music group
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bank — for money

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