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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: content · stock · key · ball · coach · branch · hand · bank

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. content — happy
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bank — for money
  6. stock — shares
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bank — for money
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. ball — a dance
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bank — of a river
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. ball — a great time
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stock — goods
  20. key — in music
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. content — the amount

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