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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: drill · date · key · rest · coach · net · stock · bank

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. net — in sport
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bank — for money
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bank — of a river
  8. stock — goods
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bank — for money
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. key — the most important part
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. drill — army training
  15. stock — shares
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rest — what's left
  18. net — after costs
  19. key — for a lock
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. net — for catching
  22. rest — what's left
  23. key — in music
  24. drill — the tool

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