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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: pit · coach · march · band · trunk · content · saw · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. content — the amount
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. saw — the tool
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. band — a ring
  9. march — music
  10. pit — a hole
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. march — the month
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pit — in a race
  19. saw — the tool
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. march — the month
  24. content — happy

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