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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: drill · staff · shower · branch · tube · swing · coach · stick

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. drill — army training
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. staff — a stick
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. drill — a practice
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. shower — rain
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. swing — in golf
  16. tube — a container
  17. drill — the tool
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. tube — the underground
  20. shower — to wash
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. staff — employees
  23. branch — a division
  24. staff — employees

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