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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 120 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: foot · wind · bound · rest · coach · sharp · bank · mine

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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 — of a river
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bank — for money
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mine — for digging
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bound — tied together
  18. rest — a break
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. coach — a trainer
  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