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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 · stick · band · bound · tube · branch · pitcher · coach

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. band — a music group
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rest — what's left
  5. band — a ring
  6. tube — the underground
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bound — obliged
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rest — a break
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bound — certain
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. branch — a division
  24. pitcher — a jug

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