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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
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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: cell · ground · branch · hand · sharp · coach · bay · chest

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. ground — the earth
  5. sharp — clever
  6. hand — in cards
  7. chest — of your body
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. ground — a position
  12. chest — a box
  13. cell — in biology
  14. branch — a division
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. ground — crushed
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hand — help
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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