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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: bank · game · board · mark · coach · land · trunk · bat

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bat — the animal
  5. game — a match
  6. land — to come down
  7. game — wild animals
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. land — ground
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bank — of a river
  12. mark — a trace
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a committee
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. land — a country
  21. bank — for money
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bank — for money
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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