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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: suit · coach · file · foot · branch · rush · bowl · march

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. suit — clothes
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. branch — a division
  7. march — the month
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. file — a document
  10. suit — in cards
  11. file — a tool
  12. march — the month
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. suit — to fit
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. march — music
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. file — a line of people

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