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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 116 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: last · patient · deal · nail · capital · hand · coach · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. bank — for money
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. last — final
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. capital — a city
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. capital — money
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. hand — help
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bank — of a river
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. hand — in cards
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. deal — to handle
  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