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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 · deal · wound · chip · chest · branch · field · mug

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wound — an injury
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. chest — a box
  6. field — for sport
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mug — a cup
  10. field — farmland
  11. mug — a face
  12. chest — of your body
  13. branch — a division
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chest — of your body
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mug — to rob
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. field — a subject

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