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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 · staff · mine · press · coach · file · plane · wake

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. staff — a stick
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. staff — employees
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. file — a document
  8. plane — a tool
  9. press — newspapers
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. staff — employees
  14. file — a tool
  15. press — a publisher
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wake — a trail
  19. file — a line of people
  20. press — to push
  21. bank — for money
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bank — of a river
  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