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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 · net · roll · tube · bound · bank · sharp · land

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bound — tied together
  3. roll — a list
  4. land — to come down
  5. bound — certain
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bank — of a river
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bank — for money
  12. net — after costs
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. land — a country
  17. net — for catching
  18. land — ground
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bank — for money
  22. net — in sport
  23. tube — a container
  24. roll — a cake

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