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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · wind · coach · fork · dip · spring · branch · season

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. dip — to sink
  3. staff — a stick
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. branch — a division
  6. spring — the season
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. staff — employees
  10. spring — of water
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. staff — employees
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. spring — a coil
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fork — in a road
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wind — moving air
  24. dip — to dunk

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