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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: deal · stem · stick · coach · straw · bank · pitcher · band

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bank — for money
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bank — for money
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bank — of a river
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. deal — an agreement

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