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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 · present · bank · jam · hand · row · capital · toast

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. capital — money
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. present — a gift
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. toast — bread
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bank — for money
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. hand — help
  16. present — there
  17. bank — of a river
  18. capital — a city
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bank — for money
  21. row — to paddle
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. row — a line
  24. hand — in cards

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