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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 116 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: wave · pitcher · cold · leaves · court · branch · nail · coach

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. court — for sport
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. court — of law
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. court — of a king
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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