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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: nail · bank · club · cold · coach · land · racket · spell

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. land — ground
  3. club — a group
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bank — for money
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. land — to come down
  10. club — for dancing
  11. cold — an illness
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bank — of a river
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. club — for golf
  18. land — a country
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. spell — letters
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bank — for money

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