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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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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: rest · lean · bark · pit · bat · branch · coach · mark

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — a grade
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pit — a hole
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rest — what's left
  14. lean — thin
  15. branch — a division
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rest — a break
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pit — in a race

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