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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mug — to rob
  3. court — of a king
  4. mate — to breed
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lean — thin
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. court — of law
  10. mug — a face
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lean — to bend
  15. court — for sport
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mate — a partner
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wound — an injury
  24. hand — part of the body

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