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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: ruler · cell · bowl · tear · bank · club · coach · wind

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — for golf
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bank — for money
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. club — a group
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. coach — a trainer

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