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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: spring · squash · date · bank · kid · wave · face · coach

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. squash — to crush
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. face — to point toward
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bank — for money
  9. kid — child
  10. bank — for money
  11. face — to confront
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bank — of a river
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. spring — of water
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. face — part of the head

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