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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mate — to breed
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitch — completely
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. mate — a partner
  20. wake — a trail
  21. branch — a division
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. mate — a friend

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