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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: wake · fan · branch · court · rule · saw · wind · coach

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. branch — a division
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. court — of a king
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rule — government
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. rule — a law
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wind — moving air
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. court — for sport
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. court — of law

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