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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. present — a gift
  3. track — a path
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wake — a trail
  7. chest — of your body
  8. drill — the tool
  9. branch — a division
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. track — to keep track
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. drill — a practice
  16. present — the time now
  17. track — a song
  18. drill — army training
  19. present — there
  20. season — in sport
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. wake — before a funeral

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