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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: branch · mark · roll · sharp · coach · jam · cold · rash

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. roll — a cake
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. mark — a trace
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rash — a series
  7. roll — a list
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. branch — a division
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. mark — a grade
  24. rash — on the skin

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