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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: coach · rush · season · track · branch · hand · kid · fan

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. track — a song
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. track — a path
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. hand — help
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. season — in sport
  16. hand — in cards
  17. season — of the year
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. branch — a division
  20. kid — child
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. track — to keep track
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rush — hurry

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