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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 116 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: bat · bay · rash · spring · fall · wind · coach · bank

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bank — of a river
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fall — to drop
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bank — for money
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rash — a series
  19. bank — for money
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. spring — of water

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