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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: hand · coach · squash · cabinet · roll · bank · march · craft

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. march — the month
  3. craft — a skill
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. hand — help
  8. bank — for money
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bank — for money
  11. squash — the sport
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. roll — a cake
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. craft — boats
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bank — of a river
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. hand — in cards
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. hand — part of the body

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