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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: coach · charge · swing · mine · branch · pitcher · spring · vault

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. charge — in control
  3. swing — in golf
  4. charge — a price
  5. swing — to play on
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. branch — a division
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. swing — music
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. vault — a safe
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. spring — of water
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. spring — the season
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. charge — electricity
  24. mine — for digging

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