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

Word bank: lie · club · wind · branch · coach · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wind — moving air
  10. branch — a division
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pound — a weight
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. club — for dancing
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. club — for golf
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. club — a group

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