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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 120 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: pop · branch · bank · coach · fall · lash · bat · mug

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bank — for money
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bat — the animal
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. pop — music
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pop — soda
  13. mug — to rob
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. pop — to visit
  17. branch — a division
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. fall — the season
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bank — for money
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bat — in an idiom

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