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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: coach · squash · stock · prune · nail · drill · bank · file

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. file — a tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. drill — a practice
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. drill — the tool
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bank — of a river
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stock — shares
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. nail — for a hammer

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