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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: ground · branch · coach · lie · swing · squash · pitcher · bass

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. lie — to recline
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ground — crushed
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ground — a position
  10. swing — music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. swing — to play on
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bass — low music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. ground — the earth
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bass — the fish
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. squash — the sport

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